The Dig
by GreysAddictJ
Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky  but hot  blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Dig (1/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13 (at least for now)

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

A/N: This is my first attempt at an A/U story. Hopefully it works. Also, as an additional disclaimer, while I do have a college degree in archaeology, I'm by no means an expert on the subject – and also may take some liberties with the realities of the archaeological field if the story needs it.

A/N2: For those of you who liked my Christmas fic and were hoping for more of the same, I still intend to do more of that. However, my Christmas muse has escaped me for the moment and this was one of the many non-holiday ideas that sprung up as I attempted to brainstorm. I have the beginnings of a Christmas idea and may try to start that in the next few days. In the meantime, hope this will do!

Deep in the Amazon jungle, Dr. Callie Torres surveyed the dig site in front of her. Interns and day laborers were scurrying about, setting up camp and getting all of the relevant equipment situated. She couldn't help but smile at the sight.

This was exactly what she needed – to be busy, to throw herself completely into her work. After the absolutely horrific waste the past year had been on a personal level, she was beyond grateful to have something to take her mind off things. And the fact that that something might just turn out to be the biggest archaeological discovery in decades, if not ever, was an added bonus. But then again, who could really be surprised? After all, in the archaeology world, she was a rock star. In fact, she was a rock star in general. And if a certain bitch back in the States was too blind or too dumb to recognize that, well, that was her loss. Shaking thoughts of her ex, Erica, out of her head, she returned to surveying the site.

Callie jumped when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Turning around, she saw her second-in-command, Dr. Mark Sloan, an archaeological superstar in his own right.

"Mark! You scared me. Sneaking up on people in the middle of the jungle is not cool."

"Sorry Torres. Things are coming together pretty well, don't you think?" He said, gesturing to the hustle and bustle in front of them.

"Sure are. " Callie replied. "At this rate, we'll be able to start real work tomorrow. I can't wait to see what we find. This place is it Mark. I can just feel it. It's going to be the discovery of our careers. The discovery of a lifetime."

"I hope you're right. The way we've been hyping it, it had better be. I know the University's bought into it. Why else would they agree to let some pesky journalist follow our every move. We'd better be right – or we'll end up with egg on our face for the world to see. And you know there are plenty of people hoping that we'll fail."

"Have faith, Mark." Callie replied. "We've done the research. It's here. I know it." She smiled, secretly praying that she was right. It would be a wonderful way to cap off a crappy year. However, the way her year had been going, it wouldn't be a surprise if things went horribly wrong.

"Well you deserve it. After the year you've had, with Erica and everything . . ."

Desperate to change the subject, Callie interrupted. "So where is that annoying hack anyway, shouldn't they be here by now? Leave it to an amateur to be late."

Hearing someone clear their throat behind them, Callie and Mark turned. "Excuse me. That 'hack' would be me." Callie was momentarily stunned, breathless at the beautiful blonde woman in front of her. Chocolate brown eyes met ocean blue ones – their eyes locked, perhaps for a little too long.

Mark broke their mutual reverie by introducing himself. "Hi . . . uh, sorry about that. Torres just gets a little upset when she's not completely in control of her own dig site – and the University agreed to your story without consulting her first. The name's Mark Sloan, Assistant Director of the project." He held out his hand to shake hers.

The blonde took his offered hand. "Arizona Robbins. Very nice to meet you." She said with a dimpled smile.

Callie snorted. "Right. And my name is Indiana Jones. Nice attempt at archaeology humor, but it'll get you nowhere. Seriously, what's your name?"

"Seriously, Arizona Robbins. And you must be Dr. Calliope Torres." She said with perky exuberance as she offered her hand to Callie. When Callie took her hand, both women were startled by the instantaneous spark coursing through them.

Again, Mark interrupted. "Well, ladies, I'm going to go check on the minions . . .make sure everything's in order. Blondie, if you'd like some special tutoring on the ins and outs of the shovel bum world, stop by my tent later. I can give you private lessons." He winked and walked away.

Callie rolled her eyes. "You'll have to excuse Mark, he flirts with anything with ovaries."

"Don't you worry about me, Dr. Torres. I can handle myself just fine. I may be a hack, but I've been in this business long enough to learn how to manage most situations and still get my story. Maybe that's why I've won 2 Pulitzers. Who knows? Anyway, it's super nice to meet you." She flashed her dimples again and swaggered away.

Callie could only laugh. Clearly, she'd just been bested by the perky blonde journalist in that battle of words. She was intrigued. Very intrigued.

A few hours later and the site was starting to take shape. Callie surveyed the area with pride, her glances straying more often than they should have to a certain perky blonde. She couldn't help but laugh as she watched Arizona struggle to drag her belongings to her assigned tent. For an apparently seasoned journalist, she sure didn't pack light. Callie had to give her credit, however. The girl did have spunk. Despite the less than cordial welcome she'd received, she'd held her own. And now she was shooing off the stream of menfolk offering to carry her luggage. As Callie continued to admire the blonde from afar, Mark strode up beside her.

"Hot, isn't she?"

"Umm, what?" Callie responded.

"That reporter chick. She's hot. I expected them to send some stuffy middle-aged dude. Not some smokin' blonde."

"I guess she's alright." Callie replied, trying to hide the fact that she'd been spending half the day checking out Arizona and the other half thinking about checking out Arizona.

"Whatever Torres. You were totally checking her out. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm all for a little girl-on-girl action if that's her thing."

"You are such a pig, Sloan." Callie said as she slapped his arm. "Besides, I'm sure she's not gay. Hot ones like that never are. And even if she were, she's not my type. Waaaay too perky."

"So you do think she's hot." Mark smiled. "I knew it."

"So what? Not gonna happen. After what happened with Erica, I've sworn off women. And I came here to work, not to pick up chicks. The only girl-on-girl action you're going to see is in that dirty mind of yours."

"A man can dream, can't he?"

At that moment, the subject of their discussion emerged from her tent, wearing the goofiest floppy pink hat that either of them had ever seen. Seeing them across the way, Arizona strode towards them.

"Nice hat." Callie chuckled, unable to resist teasing the blonde.

"Thanks! I bought it especially for the trip."

Callie struggled to hold her tongue, desperately wanting to tease her further. She reigned herself in, however, reminding herself that teasing and flirting with the woman was not a good idea. She barely knew her. So what if the very sight of Arizona made her go weak in the knees?

"Calliope . . ." Arizona began. "You don't mind if I call you that, do you? Dr. Torres is so formal."

Callie's eyes locked with Arizona's deep blue ones. "Actually, it's . . ." she started to correct her, but for some reason, Callie liked the way her full name sounded coming from the blonde's lips. "It's fine. Calliope's fine."

Mark looked at her as if she had three heads, knowing that she never permitted anyone but her father to call her Calliope.

"Super!" Arizona responded enthusiastically. "Anyway, Calliope, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions, you know, get some background on you and on your project." She flashed her dimples and Callie nearly melted on the spot.

Sensing that he was neither needed nor wanted in this conversation, Mark excused himself. "I'll leave you ladies to it. And Arizona – my offer still stands, if you'd like to discuss things more privately later." He winked.

"That's very nice of you, Dr. Sloan, but I'm sure that Calliope here can give me all the private help I need." Arizona replied, eyes never leaving Callie's, a sly grin playing across her lips.

Callie suddenly had butterflies in her stomach. Was Arizona flirting with her? No, it wasn't possible. Besides, even if she were, it's not like Callie was interested anyway. Her love-deprived brain was just playing tricks on her. Composing herself, Callie shooed Mark away. "Yeah, Mark, I'm sure we've got it from here. Why don't you go see how the interns are getting on? Make sure they're not touching anything they shouldn't be."

"So, is there some place we can go to talk?" Arizona inquired.

"Sure, I've got a table and chairs set up in the large tent over there – why don't we go have a quick drink and chat?" Callie suggested, heading in the direction of the tent, doing anything to avoid looking at the object of her attraction.

Sitting across from Arizona, Callie struggled to keep her mind on the discussion at hand. Arizona asked her general questions about her background, where she'd gone to school, where she'd grown up, what other projects she'd done in the past, etc. Callie managed to answer the questions, but couldn't vouch for anything she'd said. For all she knew, she'd just told Arizona she got her degree from Sexy Blonde University, that she'd grown up in Blue Eyes, Missouri, and that her interests included perky journalists, floppy pink hats, and people named after states. However, judging by the fact that Arizona hadn't called her crazy or a pervert, she must have given the right responses.

Forcing herself to focus, she waited for the next question.

"So why are we here? What's this big discovery you think you've made? The University wouldn't give me or my paper the details – only that it was shaping up to be the find of the century"

"You have to promise that this stays a secret until I tell you that you can publish." Callie began. "If word gets out too soon, we'll be invaded by gawkers, tomb robbers, and people wanting a piece of fame."

"I promise. But I will publish, find or no find, once we're done here."

"Fair enough." Callie agreed. "I think we may have found El Dorado – the lost city of Gold. The city that hundreds have lost their lives trying to find. This could change archaeology forever. Most people believe that El Dorado was a fictional place, that the Spanish conquistadors were chasing a false dream. I'm here to prove they weren't so crazy after all." Callie's eyes lit up as she talked of the potential discovery.

Arizona admired her passion. She was beautiful to begin with, but she was breathtaking when talking about a subject which clearly meant so much to her.

After letting Callie tell her more about the legend of El Dorado, Arizona shifted back to more personal matters. "So, tell me about Calliope Torres the person. What's your personal life like? Are you married? Significant other? Kids?"

Callie bristled, the light in her eyes suddenly dead. "I don't think that's any of your business. I'm here to work, nothing else."

"I'm just trying to get a well-rounded story here." Arizona began. "While our readers will be interested in the expedition and the history, this is also a human interest piece. They're going to want to know about the woman behind it all."

"I said no."

"Calliope. . ." Arizona continued.

"We're done here." Callie stood and strode from the tent, leaving a shocked Arizona sitting alone. Clearly there was something else going on here, Arizona mused. And she wasn't an ace reporter for nothing. She'd find out who the real Calliope Torres was, one way or another. And she'd be doing it for purely journalistic reasons, not because she was personally interested in the gorgeous brunette. Not at all. Or at least that's what she told herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Dig (2/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13 (at least for now)

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

A/N: I've done some research, but I can't vouch for 100% accuracy when it comes to the history stuff – and I may need to take a little creative license at some point.

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

After her mini-confrontation with Callie, Arizona's journalistic mind was spinning. People didn't react the way that Callie had unless there was something deeper going on. Whether or not there was a story there was yet to be seen. Arizona had long ago learned to suppress any qualms she might have had about prying into people's private lives. In order to be a successful, award-winning journalist like she was, you had to be okay with offending people once in a while. If she'd stopped every time someone had told her to mind her own business, she'd have never gotten anywhere in the journalistic world.

Despite this fact, Arizona couldn't help but feel like she was crossing a line with Callie that she wasn't sure she wanted to cross. She'd felt an instant connection with the beautiful archaeologist and she couldn't suppress the feeling that she'd have to compromise one way or another on this story. Compromise herself as a journalist or compromise her relationship with Callie. She shook this thought aside and gave herself a mental pep talk. She had no relationship with Callie. At least not at the moment. She'd only known her a few hours. And this magical connection that she felt was most likely one-sided. Brushing aside her concerns, she pulled out her sat phone and called one of her closest friends and fellow journalists, Teddy Altman.

"Hello?" Teddy answered.

"Hey, Teddy, it's me, Arizona."

"Arizona? Is that you? You're kind of breaking up. How's the big South American adventure?"

"Not much to tell yet, but I'll keep you posted. Listen, I have a favor to ask you."

"Sure, what's up?" Teddy replied.

"I need you to do some digging for me. Can you find out anything you can on an archaeologist named Calliope Torres? That's C-A-L-L-I-O-P-E , and the last name is T-O-R-R-E-S. She teaches at Columbia."

"Sure. Why?" Teddy asked.

"I'm not sure. Just a hunch."

"Okay, will do."

"Thanks, Teddy. I'll call you in a day or two to check in and see what you've found." After saying her goodbyes, Arizona hung up and began to unpack her things.

The tent flap opened and Callie popped her head in. "Uh, can I come in?" She asked tentatively.

"Sure."

"Listen, I want to apologize for the way I snapped at you earlier. I know you're just trying to do your job. It's just that I've mixed my personal life with my job in the past and have gotten burned. I'd appreciate if we could just focus on the professional stuff. I really don't think knowing what my favorite color is or what my hobbies are or who I date will really make or break your story. Even so, I overreacted and I apologize."

Arizona nodded. "Fair enough. Just promise me that you won't shut me out of the professional stuff. The University assured me that I'd have full access and I don't want to compromise my article because you've kept relevant information from me."

"Deal." Callie agreed.

"Can you tell me more about the legend of El Dorado?" Arizona asked, eager to steer the conversation to safer waters."

"Sure." Callie replied. "As far as we can tell, the legend started about 500 years ago. A Spanish sailor was captured by the Incans and when he was freed, he described this king called "El Dorado" or "the golden one." Apparently this king used to cover himself in gold dust. Anyway, the nickname kind of stuck and from that point, a legend grew of a city by the same name." Arizona was fascinated by the tale, but even more mesmerized by the animated light in Callie's eyes as she enthusiastically spoke about a subject that clearly meant so much to her.

Callie continued. "The Spanish called this legendary city El Dorado, but that's not what the locals called it. Their name for it was Paititi. Call it El Dorado or Paititi, the Spanish never found it. There are generally two camps here. There's the camp that believes that the city does exist, and they have been risking their lives for over 500 years trying to find it. Some have even lost their lives. Then you have this other camp of people, who just don't think that El Dorado or Paititi existed. Of course, I'm in the camp that believes that El Dorado does exist. That's why I'm here." Callie shot Arizona a mega-watt smile and Arizona nearly melted on the spot. The brunette was beyond gorgeous and it took every last bit of Arizona's strength not to jump her there and then.

"This is all so super cool." Arizona replied, flashing her own dimpled killer smile in return. Azure blue eyes once again locked with deep brown and the two spent a moment simply gazing and smiling at one another.

"How about I show you around the site as a peace offering?" Callie interjected, uncomfortable at her inability to focus on anything but Arizona and her dimples for more than about 10 seconds.

"Sounds awesome!" Arizona replied exuberantly.

After grabbing some supplies, she followed the brunette from the tent.

"This way." Callie motioned, pulling apart some vines, leading them into a rough hewn path through the jungle. They made their way deeper into the jungle. After a time, Callie stopped in front of what looked like the ruins of a small building.

"This is called a tambo." Callie explained. "It's basically a rest house along the Incan road system. A place where travelers could stop for a breather in between cities – kind of like a modern day rest area or truck stop that you see along the highways. To us modern day visitors, it serves a more important purpose. It's shows us we're on the right track. And this one is large as tambos go, which tells us even more. Why build a large tambo unless this path was once a major Incan road? If it were a minor road, there would be no reason to build a big tambo like this one. This was one of the first clues that we were on the right track."

Arizona ran her hand gently along the decrepit-looking stonework. "It's amazing that this has been here for over 500 years. And it's amazing that you can tell so much from it. You're amazing."

Arizona couldn't help but notice the blush that crept across Callie's skin. Their eyes locked and both were momentarily lost in thoughts of admiration and lust.

"Anyway . . ." Callie continued, finally breaking the awkward silence between them. "We should keep going. There's more to see."

Arizona followed Callie deeper into the jungle and she struggled to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Instead, her mind kept wandering to the rather delicious ass and the woman attached to it who was striding a few steps ahead of her.

Finally, Callie came to a halt where the trail seemingly took a dead-end into a wall of vines. Arizona, who had been too wrapped up in dirty thoughts, noticed too late and ran straight into the back of the brunette. Feeling the blonde's pert breasts rub against her back, Callie took a sharp intake of breath. Arizona immediately jumped backward like a scalded cat. Callie silently cursed and hoped that the blonde hadn't noticed her reaction.

Beckoning Arizona forward, Callie pulled apart some vines and gestured ahead.

"There it is – what we believe might be El Dorado, the lost city of gold."

Arizona gasped in astonishment as she peered through the opening and saw a very large and very complex network of stone buildings. It was huge and awe-inspiring.

"This is amazing, Calliope." She said, grinning at Callie. "But how in the heck did you ever find this buried here in the jungle?"

"I had stumbled upon some old Spanish travel diaries and did some research which had suggested that it might be in this area. Then, with the help of modern satellite technology, which gets better with each passing year, we were able to locate a few potential anomalies that might have been ruins. Which led us here."

"This is all so awesome." Arizona couldn't stop looking, awe-struck by the sight. "Can we go closer? Go inside the buildings?"

"Not yet. Even I haven't been inside yet. We located the site and then went back to the States to gather the proper funding. As much as I'd love to, we can't just rush in. The site has to be properly preserved and documented. The placement of every stone and artifact can tell you volumes."

"If you haven't been inside, how can you know if it's really El Dorado?" Arizona asked, the inquisitive journalist in her unable to just believe blindly in Callie's theory.

"We can't for sure. Here's what I can tell you. It's in roughly the right location. Also, you see that massive fortress over there and the stone walls?" She pointed to a large building. Arizona nodded. "The one thing you'd need if you have a city of gold is a good system of defense. A giant fortress like that is rare in the Incan world, at least as far as we moderners know. A defensive structure like that is like finding a giant road sign pointing to El Dorado. This is it. I just know it." Callie smiled, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

There was something about the way the brunette spoke, with such passion and conviction. It made Arizona want to believe too. Unable to help herself, she threw her arms around Callie and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much for sharing this with me Calliope."

Callie was taken aback by Arizona's sudden embrace, but slowly wound her arms around the smaller woman, unable to resist the closeness of her body. She closed her eyes and breathed in her light, fruity scent, intoxicated by this perky ball of energy. They lingered in the hug, neither one willing to be the first to let go. Finally, sensing the growing awkwardness, Callie released her grip.

Swallowing hard, her throat suddenly dry, she gave the blonde a weak smile. "We, uh . . .we should start heading back to camp. It'll be dark soon."

As they emerged from the jungle, they heard loud music playing and saw several of the workers gathered around a campfire. Mark, who was with them, gestured for the two women to join them.

"Hey Torres, Blondie. Come on over. We're having some celebratory drinks before starting the serious work tomorrow."

They joined the crowd and spent the next hour or two mostly apart. Despite this fact, both women continued to surreptitiously steal glances at one another from across the fire. As the evening wore on and as everyone became more intoxicated, someone suggested dancing. Soon people were drunkenly dancing to the music played out of one of the interns' battery-powered stereo.

Arizona took a few moments to jot down some notes from her earlier discussions with Callie, not wanting to forget anything. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as she suddenly felt warm breath from behind her. She closed her eyes and briefly enjoyed the scent that had invaded her senses earlier that day in the jungle.

"Whatcha writing?" Callie whispered huskily in her ear, clearly a little tipsy.

"Oh, nothing exciting." Arizona replied, struggling to focus on the conversation and not on the brunette's proximity to her. "Just uh . . . um. Just writing down some notes from what you told me earlier." She struggled to form complete sentences as Callie's chest grazed her back, shooting lightning bolts through her body.

"Good." Callie replied.

"Good?" Arizona responded in question, turning around to meet Callie's gaze, not understanding her meaning.

"Yes. I'm glad it's not something exciting that you're writing. Because that means you can come dance with me." With that, she grabbed Arizona's journal, tossed it aside and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the other dancers.

Unable to resist, Arizona followed her. Callie roped her arms around Arizona's waist and pulled her in towards her body. Arizona responded by wrapping her arms around Callie's neck and tried to pretend like the dance was just a little fun between two drunk friends – nothing more. It was definitely a struggle, as shocks coursed through her body each time their hips grazed one another.

Just when Arizona thought she'd gained control of her senses, Callie through her for another mind-spinning, sexy loop. She turned Arizona so that her back was pressed against the brunette's front. Callie then wrapped her arms around the blonde from behind and proceeded to grind her hips into Arizona's rear. It took all of Arizona's willpower not to throw the hot archaeologist to the ground right there and have her way with her. She's just drunk, Arizona reminded herself. She probably has no idea what she's doing and probably won't even remember this tomorrow. Still, it couldn't hurt to enjoy it while it lasts, could it? Arizona closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness as their bodies moved in a slow, languorous rhythm to the beat of the music.

As the song came to a close, Mark strode up to them. Clearly inebriated, he pulled Callie by the arm. "Torres. Come dance with me. Show these interns how it's done." Callie smiled back at Arizona and let Mark lead her away. Arizona immediately mourned the loss of the brunette's body, suddenly feeling incomplete.

Her gaze followed the pair of archaeologists and they danced close together. Callie flung her arms around Mark, running her hands through his hair and pulling him close as they ground their hips together in time to the music. Disgusted, Arizona tore her gaze away and headed for her tent. She was stupid. Stupid to even fantasize about Callie. Clearly women were not her thing – and it was clear that she and Sloan had something going on. Focus, Arizona. She reminded herself. Just focus on the story. There's no time for personal entanglements anyway.

Callie was having a good time dancing with Mark, but the minute he pulled her into his arms, she knew it didn't feel right. Not quite right anyway. She immediately missed the closeness of that damn perky journalist and her damn sexy, feminine body. She chastised herself. What did it matter? She wasn't here for romance. She was here for El Dorado. Besides, there was no way that Arizona would be interested in her anyway. Throwing her arms around Mark, she focused on the music, hoping to push aside any thoughts of romance and attraction. Finally, unable to distract herself any longer, she looked over to where she'd left the blonde, needing to steal one more glance. But she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Dig (3/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13 (at least for now)

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

Arizona was furious. She wasn't sure who she was furious at, but she was steaming. She was angry at Callie for practically gluing herself to Mark Sloan only seconds after she'd shared what Arizona had thought of as a rather magical moment. She could still feel the brunette's body melded to hers, still smell her intoxicating scent. Arizona shook her head, as if to rid her brain of this line of thought.

No. She chided herself. She had no right to be angry at Calliope. She could only be angry at herself. She had no right to feel possessive over the woman, especially since she'd known her all of 24 hours. Just because she'd built up a supposed chemistry between them in her head did not mean that Callie felt the same. In fact, odds were, she didn't. If Arizona verbalized her feelings aloud, she'd probably send the sexy archaeologist running into the jungle at full speed. She really needed to get a grip. She was not normally the type who latched on to someone at first sight like this. She usually took her time, building her interest and attraction over a period of weeks. Not over a period of hours. Maybe the humidity and jungle heat was getting to her. Clearly her brain was playing games with her.

Arizona paced back and forth across the narrow expanse of her tent, attempting to talk herself down. She didn't notice when the object of her troubled thoughts stepped into her tent.

"Um . . .hey." A certain sexy voice broke through Arizona's warring thoughts.

Arizona looked up, startled. "What's up?" She responded, attempting nonchalance.

"I saw that you'd left the party and I was worried you were upset about something."

"Oh, no. I'm just tired. Go back to Mark. It looked like you two were having fun." Arizona replied, unable to completely hide her resentment.

Callie was taken aback, completely taken off guard by the fact that the blonde seemed offended.

"Um . . . okay. I don't understand what you mean. Or why you're angry at me." Callie said, genuinely confused.

"Why am I angry? I'm not sure." Arizona snapped. "Other than the fact that you clearly haven't been honest with me. Earlier today you told me that you don't mix your personal and professional lives. Yet you're clearly sleeping with Sloan."

"Uh . . . Arizona. I'm not sure why you're so upset. Not that it's any of your business, as I stand by my belief that my personal life is personal and not part of your story. However, for what it's worth, I didn't lie to you. Mark and I are not involved. We're best friends, but that's it."

"Really? Because I sure as hell don't practically dry hump my best friend in public." Arizona's blue eyes flashed with anger. Callie couldn't help but think about how sexy the blonde was when she was angry.

"I swear to you Arizona, there's nothing going on. Mark and I both get a little flirty when we're drinking. Okay, so Mark's flirty even when he's sober. But we're strictly friends. That's all."

Finally cooling down a bit, Arizona peered into Callie's chocolate brown eyes. Seeing the honesty contained in them, she offered a small smile and nodded. "Okay. I believe you. I'm sorry. I just don't appreciate dishonesty and I thought you'd lied. Even so, I overreacted. So I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Callie said and left the tent.

Arizona mentally cursed herself. Her green-eyed monster had definitely and inappropriately reared it ugly head. Attempting to distract herself, she pulled out her sat phone and dialed Teddy.

"Hello?" A sleepy-sounding Teddy answered.

"Oh crap! Did I wake you? I forgot about the time difference. I can call you back at a better time." Arizona apologized.

"S'okay." Teddy mumbled. "I'm up now."

"Did you find out anything?"

"Sure did. There are no huge skeletons in her closet." Teddy began. "She's very, very highly regarded in her field. She's already got tenure at the University, despite the fact that she's only had her doctorate for about 6 years."

"Okay." Arizona responded. "Anything else?"

"Her colleague, Mark Sloan, who's running the project with her." Teddy began. Arizona felt a knot form in her stomach as she braced herself for the inevitable confirmation of their relationship. "He's well-respected in his own right. Bit of a ladies man. He apparently will hit on anything that moves. So be warned, he may make a pass at you."

"Been there, done that." Arizona laughed. "Anything about her personal life?" Arizona bit her lip, silently chiding herself for prying , but she couldn't resist.

"Not much. Dr. Torres is pretty protective about her personal life. However, there is one interesting thing. She was very close with another archaeologist in her department, a Dr. Erica Hahn. They were close friends and did some work together. Anyway, about 5 months ago, they had a big falling out. Hahn left the University suddenly and took a job at a different school. A few months later, Hahn published a paper. There were some accusations that she'd stolen Torres' work, but nothing was ever proven."

"Interesting." Arizona replied.

"There's more." Teddy added. "While it hasn't been definitively confirmed, there are rumors that their relationship was more than friendship. Rumor has it they were involved." Arizona's heart nearly stopped in her chest. "But like I said, Torres keeps her personal life pretty close to the vest. The people I talked to did confirm she was pretty upset after Hahn left. But whether that was over the loss of her friend, her work, or a girlfriend is anybody's guess. She's definitely not a confirmed lesbian. In fact, she's been married before. But as you know, that doesn't necessarily mean she and Hahn weren't an item."

"Interesting." Arizona replied again.

"What's going on, Arizona?" Teddy asked. "You're uncharacteristically quiet. You're not falling for this girl, are you?"

"No, of course not." Arizona answered a little too quickly.

"Arizona . . ." Teddy chided, clear that she knew Arizona too well for her to pull the wool over her eyes.

"Okay, so maybe she's one of the hottest, most beautiful, intelligent, passionate women I've ever met." Arizona responded. "And I keep feeling like we've got this connection, but I've convinced myself that it's one-sided. What just told me gives me a little hope."

"Just be careful." Teddy warned. "I don't want to see you get hurt. Also, don't let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. Remember, you've got a story to write."

"I know. Thanks for the pep talk, Teddy. I really appreciate it. I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Okay." Teddy replied. "Keep me posted. You've definitely got me intrigued."

"Will do." Arizona agreed.

After she left Arizona's tent, Callie decided to take a quick walk to clear her head. Why had Arizona reacted the way she had? She was clearly upset about the way that she had danced with Mark. The question was why.

Callie allowed her thoughts to stray back to the dance she'd shared with the blonde. It had been one of the most enjoyable moments she'd had in a long time. Every time she came in contact with the reporter, her whole body felt like it was on fire. She couldn't remember ever feeling a connection like that . . . not with Erica, not with her ex-husband George, not with anyone. But who was to say that Arizona felt it too?

Maybe she did feel it. After all, the way she was reacting to this whole Mark thing smacked of jealousy. Was it possible? Did Arizona feel the same spark that she did?

No. She chided herself. Arizona was simply a nosy reporter. She clearly thought that if she got Callie riled up enough, she'd spill about her personal life. Callie didn't appreciate the intrusion, nor the reporter's deceptive tactics. This had to stop.

Just as Arizona put away her phone, Callie came bursting through the door and came striding to a halt inches from Arizona.

"Actually, it's not okay." Callie began, a little more passion and anger in her tone than she'd intended.

"What's not okay?" Arizona asked, a little confused.

"It's not okay that you're all worked up about me and who I am or am not sleeping with. I've known you all of one day. What right do you have to care? " Callie's eyes flashed with anger.

Arizona felt her closeness, their bodies only inches apart as Callie continued her rant.

"You're here to report on my work, not on me. So stop prying. You're acting like you're jealous, which you clearly aren't. You just want me to reveal my personal life, you want me to . . ."

Callie's rant was cut off as Arizona's lips crashed against hers. The blonde moved fast, giving Callie a quick yank that sent their bodies colliding together. The rest of her words fell tumbling from her brain as Arizona's tongue teased along the seam of her lips, seeking entrance. Their tongues tangled in a searing, passionate dance. Callie let her hands run up and down Arizona's truly exceptional body, enjoying the way the slowly melted against one another. Callie felt Arizona's fingers dig into her shoulders and felt the light tremble of pleasure that coursed through her.

When Arizona heard the low purr in Callie's throat, when she tasted it on her tongue, she let her go and pulled away. Resting her forehead against the Callie's she stared into her beautiful brown eyes.

"We should stop." Arizona said reluctantly.

"Why?" Callie asked, stopping the last thing she wanted to do.

"Because I've known you for about 5 minutes. And if we don't stop, I'm going to throw you down on that bed and have my way with you. As much as I'd love to do that, I don't think it would be a good idea. I don't want to rush this."

Callie sighed. "Fine." She said with a tone of resignation, knowing Arizona was right. Giving Arizona one more lingering kiss, she reached up and caressed her cheek. "Thanks." She said as she turned to leave.

"For what?"

"For kissing me senseless. I've been fantasizing about exactly that since about 5 seconds after I laid eyes on you." With that, Callie gave her a wink and left the tent.

Arizona collapsed on her bed, a goofy grin on her face. This was definitely turning out to be an interesting assignment.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Dig (4/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13 (at least for now)

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

A/N: Thanks for all the kind words. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the amount of feedback I get is directly proportionate to my eagerness to write. Case in point: I spent my entire early-ass flight this morning mapping out chapters for this fic instead of sleeping as was my original plan – inspired by all the nice comments. So thanks! Also, thanks to Aimee for some advice on some of archaeological intricacies.

Arizona dreamt of Calliope. It was a particularly nice dream, involving lots of rather naughty things. The dream was so vivid, she could practically smell Callie's intoxicating scent, almost feel her soft lips against her own, taste her unique flavor as their tongues mingled with one another. . .

Slowly, Arizona came to her senses, awakening and realizing that it wasn't all a dream. Instead, she was getting a rather sexy wake-up call from a certain hot brunette. Reaching up, she pulled Callie towards her, deepening their kiss, taking a few moments to savor their closeness. Finally, Callie pulled away, a mega-watt grin on her face.

Arizona stretched. "Mmmmm . . . I could get used to that kind of wake-up call." She grinned.

"I brought you some coffee and breakfast. We've got a big day ahead of us. We start the survey today."

"You are super awesome." Arizona said as she sat up and accepted a steaming mug of coffee. As she did, their hands brushed against one another, sending a jolt of desire straight to her core. She struggled to maintain control, wanting to pull Calliope into bed with her and convince her that El Dorado could wait another few hours. Instead, she settled for shooting amorous gazes at the object of her affection over the top of her mug as she drank in the coffee. Callie shot equally lusty looks back at the blonde, a smirk on her facing giving a hint as to the direction of her thoughts.

Finally breaking their tense silence, Arizona rose and gathered Callie into her arms. After giving her a chaste kiss, she began. "So I was thinking . . ."

"Probably the same dirty things I was thinking." Callie joked.

"True. But beyond that. I'm not quite sure what's going on between us yet . . .other than I'm loving it and it's addling my brain like a hormone-filled teenager."

"Same here." Callie smiled. "Suddenly, it's hard to focus on the lost city of gold. Most of my time is spent thinking of a different kind of gold. A certain golden-haired hottie with dimples to die for."

Arizona smiled at Callie's admission and then continued. "Anyway, whatever this thing is between us, I don't want it to affect either of our careers. I'm thinking maybe it's wise, at least for the time being, if we keep this under wraps. I don't want anyone thinking that I'm doing you any favors in my story just because we're involved. And I'm sure you don't want that either."

Callie nodded. "Makes sense to me." Pulling Arizona closer, she added, "Plus, there's definitely something very hot about a secret romance. Stolen glances and hidden embraces. I could go for that."

Arizona giggled and pulled the brunette's head down towards hers, their lips crashing in a searing embrace. After a few moments, they pulled apart, both gasping for air.

Callie grinned and headed towards the exit. "Better get dressed, Dimples. We're heading out soon."

Arizona shook her head – whatever this thing was, it definitely had the potential to be something special.

Arizona was amazed at the buzz of activity at the previously quiet site she'd seen with Callie the day before. Workers were taking care of various tasks, some mapping every inch of the ruins with computers and GPS devices, others taking photographs and rendering drawings. It was an amazing sight to see. Callie took her around, explaining how all of the technology worked and how it all fit in to the greater scheme of things. Fascinated, Arizona made notes in her journal as they toured and also took photographs of the activity around her.

The site, El Dorado or not, was astounding. It was surrounded not by a single moat, as Callie explained, but rather by a series of moats in concentric circles. It had clearly been designed with defense in mind. Just the kind of thing that would be important for a city filled with gold, Arizona thought to herself.

The two enjoyed exploring the site together, stealing sultry glances here and there, grazing against one another when no one was looking. It became their own little game – seeing what they could get away with without letting on to those around them.

At lunch time, Arizona set her things down and sat next to Callie, perhaps a little closer than would normally be appropriate. As they ate, they discussed the site. Arizona peppered Callie with questions, which Callie in turn appreciated. She could tell that the blonde was asking not just out of journalistic curiosity, but also because she was genuinely interested.

"Okay, so I have to ask, Calliope . . . if this is really El Dorado, where's the gold?"

"Fair enough question. First of all, we don't know for a fact that El Dorado or Paititi really was a city of gold, at least literally. It may have been a metaphor or a reference to the sun or to golden crops like corn, etc. " Arizona nodded and Callie continued. "Second, even if there was gold here at one point, it may not be here now. We know for a fact that there were other settlements, like at Cuzco, that were literally covered in gold. The temple there, which was dedicated to Viracocha, the creator god and Inti, the sun god, had its south walls lined with pure gold panels. This was so that the sun would reflect off of the gold and illuminate the temple. Unfortunately, the Spanish tore down all of the gold and melted it down to be shipped back to Spain. So if the Spaniards made it here, there may be nothing left."

"That sucks." Arizona responded.

Callie laughed at her simplistic, but correct take on the situation. Leaning against her briefly, Callie agreed. "It sure does. However, I still hold out hope. There are stories that when the Spanish started causing trouble, the Inca transported some of their most precious gold pieces via underground tunnel to Paititi, hiding it away from pillaging hands. So we may still find it . . . if this is Paititi and if the Spanish never found it. We haven't even been inside the buildings yet. Who knows what we'll find."

Arizona smiled as she met Callie's gaze. The archaeologist's clear passion for her work was a major turn on. Sensing the building tension between them, Callie's throat went dry. Finally breaking the gaze, she stood and grabbed Arizona's hand, pulling her up. "Come on, I want to show you something." With that, they headed back through the jungle towards camp.

Heading into Callie's tent, the two were immediately upon one another, a tangle of arms and legs and kisses and caresses. Callie's mouth didn't merely take but possessed Arizona's, while her hands raced over the blonde, setting off charges under her skin. The nerves that had ridden there exploded into pure, primitive need.

Arizona responded with fervor. Her hands wanted flesh, snaking their way underneath Callie's shirt and up her sides. Needing to satisfy her craving, Arizona attacked Callie's neck, her mouth on the place where the blood beat hot, sucking, nipping, wanting to be as close as possible to the brunette.

"Hey Cal. . . Whoa! Ladies! Thanks for the show." Mark Sloan interrupted. "Carry on. I'll talk to you later Callie. Unless you two need my help . . ." He added, unable to resist.

"Beat it, Sloan." Callie said. "And keep your trap shut about what you just saw here. Or you'll be walking funny tomorrow."

Mark merely shook his head and exited with his arms raised in surrender.

"Remind me to find a brick later." Arizona said, annoyed at the interruption.

Callie raised an eyebrow. "A brick?"

"Yes, because every time I look at him, I want to hit him with a brick."

Callie pulled back and chuckled, the sexy laugh resonating through Arizona's body. "You're sexy when you're angry." She smiled. "Besides, the interruption was probably a good thing. I thought we were going to take it slow."

"Not so easy when you spent all day undressing me with your eyes." Arizona protested.

"Hey. Two can play at that game . . . and trust me, you were." Callie smirked. "Besides, as much as I enjoyed our little interlude, that's not the reason I brought you here . . . well, not the main reason anyway."

"Okay, I'll bite. Why are we here?"

"I wanted to show you this." Callie said, pulling out a photocopied piece of paper.

Arizona took it and examined it. She looked up, her blue eyes reflecting question. "What is it? I can't read it. It's Spanish, right?"

Callie nodded. "17th Century Spanish."

"What does it say?"

"This right here, Arizona, is the biggest find I've had in my career. And it's what led me to this location." She smiled, reverently at the document. "The original of this document is housed in the Vatican archives in Rome. It's written by a missionary named Andrea Lopez. In it, he described a large city, rich in gold, silver and gemstones, located in a rainforest and called by its inhabitants 'Paititi.'"

Arizona smiled at the enthusiasm in Callie's voice. "That's so awesome! But how do you know that the city this guy described is here?"

"He gave lots of landmarks and hints that led me here. Of course, right now, this is only a theory, but I feel it in my gut. I'm right."

"I feel it too. You're going to find it, what you're looking for." Arizona smiled. She turned to enter this information in her journal, only to discover it wasn't there. "Crap!" She said.

"What?" Callie asked, confused.

"I left my journal back at the site. I was going to jot down some notes."

"That's okay." Callie smiled. "We should head back soon anyway."

"Super."

"Can I ask you a favor?" Callie added.

"Sure. What?"

"Can you keep this document between you and me right now? I haven't told anyone else, besides Mark, about it yet. It's the main reason I chose to search here. I don't want this information to get out before I've had a chance to investigate the site in more detail."

Arizona nodded and smiled, gently reaching up to caress Callie's cheek. "Sure thing. Thank you for sharing this with me, Calliope. It means a lot."

"Can I ask you something else?" Callie grinned, clearly thinking something was funny. Arizona nodded. "What kind of name is Arizona, anyway? Are your parents some sort of weird hippies or something? Let me guess, your middle name is something like Moonbeam or Apple Blossom."

Arizona chuckled. "Actually quite the opposite. My father is a U.S. Marine. Very stern and most decidedly not a hippy. I wasn't named after the state. Most people assume that. I was named after the U.S.S. Arizona, which sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. I was named in honor of my grandfather, who saved the lives of 19 men on that ship before drowning himself."

"Wow." Callie said, almost speechless. "It's definitely much cooler than being named after a state. Sorry I made that assumption. It suits you."

"Thanks . . ." Arizona said, pausing before asking a question of her own. "Since we're asking personal questions, can I ask you a few? If I cross the line, I promise you can tell me to go shove it."

Callie nodded, a little nervous at where the conversation was going.

"What made you want to be an archaeologist?" Arizona asked, starting with an easy question to get Callie to relax.

"I've wanted to be one for almost my whole life. I still remember the defining moment though. I was on a trip with my grandparents and my cousin. I think I was in about 4th grade. We went to visit a colonial fort. There was a team of archaeologists doing an excavation there. It was so cool. One of the archaeologists bonded with my cousin and I, showing us some of the artifacts she'd just found. I still remember this bright red wax seal, the kind they used on letters, that they'd just pulled from the ground. It was amazing . . . and I was hooked. My cousin and I watched the dig all day while my grandparents toured the fort and museum." Callie's eyes lit with passion.

"That's really cool." Arizona replied. "I wish I'd been as sure about my future. It took me a while. Eventually, I realized that my inquisitive nature and my love of writing made journalism a good choice. But it took me a while to figure that out, muddling through in the meantime." She smiled, flashing a brief glimpse of the dimples that made Callie go weak in the knees.

"Did you always know you were gay?" Callie asked. Noticing that Arizona was caught off guard a little, she added, "you don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

Realizing that Callie was finally letting her guard down, Arizona jumped at the chance to engage with her. "Not a problem. Yeah, I think I knew for quite some time – I can't pinpoint exactly when I knew. But it wasn't a surprise realization for me . . . or for my parents when I told them. I never dated boys. I had a picture of Cindy Crawford on my bedroom wall and let's just say I wasn't just looking at her mole." She laughed.

Callie smiled. "Is it wrong that that kind of makes me want to go after Cindy Crawford with a brick?"

Arizona slapped her knee and laughed. "See! Bricks can be useful." Arizona paused for a moment, forming her next question. "What about you? When did you know you were into women?"

Callie sighed. "I was a little late to the game. I dated men most of my life. In fact, I was even married to one." Arizona nodded, trying not to let on that she already knew this information. She didn't say anything , letting Callie continue at her own pace. "It didn't work out. He's a sweet guy, but we weren't right for each other and we got married for the wrong reasons. Then, I had this colleague at work. She and I clicked, right away. We became fast friends, but then, all of a sudden, I started to have feelings I'd never had for a woman before . . . romantic feelings. Eventually, I decided to throw caution to the wind and gave it a go. I kissed her. Turns out, she'd been having the same feelings. Anyway, we dated for a while. I thought things were going pretty well. But then, we had a disagreement of sorts over how a project we'd been working on together should be handled. She confronted me, telling me that she didn't even know who I was and left me. She just up and left – moved out of state. And then, to top it all off, she goes and steals a paper I'd been working on and published it as her own. I didn't have the proof to show that she'd stolen it, so she got away with it."

"That sucks." Arizona agreed.

"Let's just say that up until this find, the past year hasn't been great for me." Callie said. "And that's why I'm so nervous about mixing business and personal stuff . . . I got burned in the worst way. I lost a woman who I might have loved and I lost a lot of hard work."

Arizona gently caressed the brunette's cheek. "What Erica did to you is unforgivable."

Callie bristled and then pulled back. "Wait. How did you know her name was Erica? I never told you that."

"I . . . uh . . .um." Arizona struggled to explain herself. "I may have asked a colleague to look into your background. I swear it was totally innocent. I just did it because you fascinated me and you were shutting me out. I have no excuse. I'm sorry . . ."

Callie eyes flashed with anger. "I should have known better than to trust a reporter. Like I said, I always get burned. How could I have been so stupid?"

With that she stormed from the tent. "Calliope! Wait!" Arizona called after her, before she slumped in a nearby chair. She cursed herself. She'd created one hell of a mess. Good one, Robbins, she chided herself. Just when things were going so well . . .


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Dig (5/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13 (at least for now)

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

After Callie stormed from the tent, Arizona took a few moments to herself. Hot tears cascaded down her face. How could she have been so careless? And what had possessed her to pry into Callie's life in the first place.

"Suck it up, Robbins" She told herself. This was no time to get emotional. She was a hot-shot, brilliant, super-awesome, award-winning journalist. She was the epitome of detachment. She shouldn't feel guilty about looking into Callie's background. It was her job to get the whole story, not just the parts her subject wanted her to know. She had nothing to feel bad about. But then why did she feel like someone had just punched her in the gut? How could it be that she'd only known Calliope Torres for a short period of time, yet she felt like her heart was breaking over the situation? She shook her head at herself. She was pathetic. Falling in love after 48 hours . . . Wait. Had she really just thought those words? Impossible. She was a rational, logical person. She was someone who took things slow, mulled them over, allowed herself to assess the entire situation. She was not the type for love at first sight. No. She was definitely not in love. And she had a job to do, fight or no fight. Wiping away her tears, she strode from the tent, focused on finding Callie.

Callie couldn't believe she'd let her guard down . . . again. And she'd been betrayed . . . again. This was the story of her life. She really should just consider celibacy as a lifelong goal. Clearly she was not cut out for romantic attachments, with men or women. She shook her head. She'd been so foolish. She's let her lust-filled thoughts outweigh her common sense. Hadn't she come here with a goal of focusing on the dig? Hadn't she sworn it was the perfect project to help her get over her last bad relationship? And yet what had she done? Less than 2 days after meeting Arizona Robbins, she'd already become involved. She'd already let that perky, pesky blonde into her heart. She'd already fallen for her. Dammit! This was not what she needed. She always led with her heart and not her head. She always fell fast and hard. And what had that gotten her? A whole lot of heartache, that's what. Clearly Arizona was in this for a good time and nothing more. Why else would she go behind her back and snoop into her past? It was time to re-focus on what was important. The fact that she was a kickass, world-class archaeologist who was about to change the face of the field forever. Time to focus . . . if it just wasn't so damn hard to forget about a certain sexy blonde.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the last voice she wanted to hear. A voice that sent shivers down her spine every time she heard it.

"Calliope?" Arizona started.

"What!" Callie snapped.

"I'm sorry . . . I never meant to hurt you. I just . . ."

Callie cut her off. "You didn't hurt me. In order to get hurt, you have to care in the first place . . . I don't. We should never have . . . gotten involved. It was a lapse in my judgment and it won't happen again." Callie regretted the words the moment she said them, knowing she was lying to both of them, that she was simply trying to make Arizona feel as much pain as she felt.

Arizona opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Callie's statement about not caring was like a sharp, hot blade ripping through her chest. Why did it hurt so much?

"I think it would be best if we keep our relationship strictly professional from now on." Callie continued. "If you have any questions about the site, you can ask. Otherwise, stay out of my business. You've clearly gotten enough information from your source back in the States to satisfy the personal side of the story." With that, Callie stormed off, eager to put as much distance between her and the blonde before her tears started to fall.

The two women spent the next few days attempting to act as if nothing had happened. Callie did her duty and included Arizona in any interesting finds, patiently explaining the history and the ins and outs of archaeological protocol. Arizona did her best to ask inquisitive, but impersonal questions. They were strictly professional . . . and it was killing both of them.

Mark Sloan watched their interaction with detached, third party's eye. He could tell they were both hurting. Though Callie hadn't opened up to him yet, she had devastation written all over her face. He'd always been able to read her. And though he didn't know Arizona that well, he could tell that her once perky demeanor had changed. She still put up a joyful façade, but the sparkle was gone from her eyes. Whatever had happened, it was hurting both women.

Even he, God's gift to women and seasoned ladies' man had noticed the immediate spark between the two. Sure, he'd had to at least try and make a few passes at the reporter. She was hot! But he'd known all along she was destined for his best friend. The air had practically sizzled with the tension between the two. It was the kind of chemistry he hoped to find one day – hoped he find and hang onto. Settle down with a few kids and a dog and a white picket fence. Not that he'd ever admit that aloud. But he envied the two women. Even if they'd only known each other for a few days, he knew they were meant for each other. Even if they were too stubborn to see it themselves. Which is why he had to try and talk some sense into them.

Choosing his best friend first, he cornered Callie inside her tent.

"Hey Torres, got a minute?"

"Sure Mark, what's up?"

"You and Blondie, that's what's up."

"It's over Mark . . . our little fling or whatever it was. Sorry to disappoint, but you'll have to look elsewhere to satisfy your girl-on-girl fantasies." Callie replied, doing her best to maintain a neutral, detached tone.

"Cut the act, Torres. You and I both know that you're messed up about this whole thing. Whatever it is that you two are fighting about, you need to patch it up. I see the way you two look at each other, the way she makes you smile. Don't throw that away over some silly argument."

"It's not a silly argument, Mark. She snooped into my private life – had someone look into my background and find out things about me. Personal things. Despite the fact that I told her not to."

"Did you give her a chance to explain herself?" Mark asked.

"Why should I? No explanation needed."

"Are you sure? You never know, maybe she's sorry. Maybe she's got a good reason? Who knows until you talk to her?" He replied. "Also, did it ever occur to you that maybe she was just doing her job? Asking her to only look at part of the story would be like asking you to go into a dig without doing all the research. Not exactly fair, Callie."

Callie pursed her lips, digesting what Mark had just said. She shook her head. "No. It's not okay. I never agreed to be an open book. She should have respected me enough to stay out of my personal life. I can't trust her. Just like I can't trust anybody. I just end up getting hurt."

"You know what, Torres? It sounds to me like you're scared. Scared because this woman is making you feel things you've never felt before. And you're so afraid of getting hurt again that you're using any excuse you can to push her away. Don't make that mistake, Callie."

Mark's words hit home, perhaps a little too much for Callie's liking. Needing some air, she brushed him aside. "Stay out of it Mark. You're not exactly one to be dishing out relationship advice." With that, she left the tent.

Mark simply shook his head. Yep, Callie definitely had it bad. Now it was time to see if the blonde felt the same way.

Finding Arizona taking some photographs nearby, he pulled her aside. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Blondie?"

"Uh Mark, I have a name. I'd appreciate if you used it."

"Arizona. Sorry . . . anyway, I was wondering if I could talk to you about Callie."

"Uh, okay . . . I'm not sure what I can help you with, but go ahead."

"Listen. I know something is up between the two of you. One minute you're making out like a couple of horny teenagers and the next, you're both walking around like someone just shot your favorite dog."

"Yeah, well, I messed up and Callie's mad at me . . ." Arizona began.

"Yeah, she told me about the whole background investigation thing. Really ticked her off."

"I know. And I'm sorry about it . . . you know what? Actually, I'm not entirely sorry. I was just doing my job. This woman is driving me crazy. She's got me questioning my journalistic instincts, my tried and true methods, my ethics, everything. Normally, I wouldn't bat an eye at doing what I did. Which is why I did it in the first place . . . but for some reason, it matters to me that she's upset. I feel like I should apologize, but I shouldn't be apologizing. I want to make it right with her, but I want that for me, because I care about her. Journalist Arizona wants to take her by the shoulders and give her a good shake, tell her that she needs to cool it, that I did nothing wrong. Non-journalist Arizona wants to beg her forgiveness, to take her in my arms and do whatever it takes to make it right. She is driving me batty! And I am normally, totally, completely not batty. I am awesome. Right now I'm not feeling so awesome. . ."

Taken aback by the blonde's rambling gush of thoughts, Mark could only smile and listen. Clearly, she had it just as bad as Callie. The only difference being she was willing to admit it.

Arizona continued. "This is going to sound cheesy and I can't believe I'm telling this to you of all people . . . when I first laid eyes on Calliope, it hit me, like a giant, wonderful bolt of lightning. Bigger than that. Like super lightning. Like 100 lightning bolts. I've never believed in love at first sight. That kind of crap is the stuff of fairy tales and romance novels. In real life, love takes time. You take your time . . . get to know someone . . . develop feelings over the course of several months. I never believed . . . until I saw her. It was like some cheesy cliché out of a really sappy movie. I saw her and that was it. She was it. And now I've gone and royally screwed it up."

"Can I give you some advice?" Mark asked. Arizona nodded. "Don't give up. I think Callie feels it too. It's why she reacted as angrily as she did. She felt hurt and betrayed. Trust me. I know Torres. When she doesn't care, she reacts with indifference. When she's this mad, it's because it matters. So don't give up. Keep chasing her. Eventually, you'll wear her down. She wouldn't be hurting this much if you didn't matter. And when she's hurt, her defense is to put up this tough, angry exterior. Keep fighting until you break it down again. Her past lovers always left her when the going got tough. Don't you quit on her too."

Arizona smiled weakly. "Thanks, Mark. I'm not sure why you're doing this, but I appreciate it."

"Callie's my best friend and I care about her. What makes her happy matters to me. And I have a feeling you're going to make her happy. So you matter. Just don't prove me wrong." He patted her on the shoulder and strolled away.

Arizona, newly inspired by Mark's advice, went looking for Callie. She found her near the entrance of the massive fortress.

"What's up, Callie?" Arizona asked hesitantly, trying to appear nonchalant.

"I'm just about to go inside the fortress to do a very preliminary survey."

"Can I come?" Arizona asked, figuring that it was a win-win. She'd learn more for her story and get to spend some time up close and personal with the object of her desires, hopefully beginning to repair their broken relationship.

Callie hesitated. Spending time with Arizona was really the last thing she wanted . . . as well as the thing she wanted most. However, she realized that she really couldn't keep shutting the reporter out – explaining that to the University funding her project wouldn't exactly go over well. "Sure." She finally responded curtly. "Follow me, but watch where you're going."

Arizona followed Callie down a narrow hallway. The continued to explore the interior of the ruins, Callie stopping occasionally to make notes or take photographs and to explain things to Arizona. Eventually, they came to the top of what looked like a stairwell. Callie led them down into the darkness, only her flashlight cutting through the darkness.

"Is this safe?" Arizona asked as they made their way into a dark underground tunnel.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Callie replied. "It's never stopped me before."

They took a few more steps when suddenly a loud rumbling noise started from over head. Before they knew what was happening, rocks and debris began to pour from the ceiling. Seeing that the ceiling was about to collapse completely, Arizona threw her body on top of Callie's and pushed them out of the way, just before the ceiling caved in, blocking the entrance to the tunnel.

They were trapped.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Dig (6/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13 (at least for now)

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

A/N: Sorry it's a little short – work's been pretty hectic, but I wanted to get the next chapter up.

As the dust settled, the two women lay on the floor of the tunnel, both a little too stunned to move. Arizona laid, her body atop Callie's, a result of the tackle she'd used to push the archaeologist out of the way of the falling debris. Neither seemed to want to be the first to move, the first to break the contact of their bodies. Arizona took a deep breath, inhaling Callie's unique scent, enjoying the feel of Callie's body pressed to hers.

Finally, Callie broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. You?" Arizona responded.

"I think so . . . uh, Arizona. I can't breathe."

"You can't breathe! I thought you said you were okay? Where does it hurt?" Arizona panicked.

"No, I can't breathe because you're sitting on top of me."

"Oh . . . right." Arizona smiled weakly and rolled off of the brunette.

Arizona dusted herself off and got to her feet. Examining the pile of rubble, she quickly realized that they were indeed stuck.

"Crap." She cursed, running her hands along the rocks, attempting to find a way out. "Looks like we're stuck for the time being."

"Great, just great." Callie muttered, wishing she were stuck anywhere but here with one Arizona Robbins.

Arizona's blue eyes were alit with anger. "Listen, Calliope. I don't like this any better than you do. But we're stuck, so we might as well make the best of it until someone finds us." Locating her flashlight, Arizona began to scan the area, the beam of light finally settling on Callie's face.

"You're bleeding." Arizona said, bending down to look at a cut on the brunette's forehead. As she reached out to touch, Callie shrunk back.

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. You're bleeding. Hang on, I've got a first aid kit in my backpack. I can clean it for you, put a bandaid on it."

"Do you always travel with a first aid kit?" Callie said, unable to resist teasing Arizona, despite her general feelings of animosity.

"My father was a marine, which is basically just a professional, overgrown Boy Scout. He taught me to be prepared for anything. So yes, I do have a first aid kit with me, along with some other things that might come in handy. I've got water, a couple of granola bars . . ."

"You're insane." Callie shook her head.

"But awesome. And you're pretty glad I'm here with my awesomeness right now, admit it." Arizona grinned, flashing her killer dimples. "Now let me see that cut."

Arizona reached over a gently wiped away the blood and placed a bandaid over the cut. Her touch caused a sharp intake of breath from Callie. She only hoped the blonde thought it was from pain and not because her touch sent her entire body ablaze.

After Arizona was done, she allowed her hand to travel from Callie's forehead down to cup her cheek. Her vibrant blue eyes locked on Callie's deep brown ones and she stroked her thumb along her face. After a few moments of heavy silence, Arizona sighed.

"Calliope . . . I just want to say again how sorry I am about how things have ended up between us. It was never my intent."

Breaking Arizona's gaze, Callie got up and began to pace back and forth across the narrow passage. "I can't believe this. All I wanted to do was forget about this whole drama . . . to focus on the project . . . to get through this and get over you . . . instead, what do I get? I get friggin' trapped with the person that makes me feel . . . makes me feel . . ." She struggled for words. "Makes me feel so God damn much. I hate it, Arizona. I feel so discombobulated."

Arizona gazed down at her hands. "I feel it too you know."

"What? What do you feel?" Callie replied, exasperated.

"Everything." Arizona replied.

"Everything? What the hell does that mean?"

"When I'm around you, every nerve cell in my body is constantly on edge. The moment I laid eyes on you, it was like I was electrified. I've never felt that before. It scares me, but not as much as the thought of not having you in my life scares me. I need you, Callie . . ." Arizona ran a hand through her hair, struggled to explain herself. "God, I must sound like a nutcase to you. Here I am rambling on about how important you are and we've only known each other a short time. You must think I'm some sort of crazy stalker."

"I don't." Callie began. "What you just described, it's how I feel too. Which is why it's killing me being around you. You betrayed me, Arizona. You went behind my back and pried into my personal business when I asked you not to. Every relationship I've ever been in has ended in disaster. I let people in and they stomp all over my heart. Erica left me out of the blue and stole my research. My ex-husband George cheated on me with some skanky co-worker. And so far, you're not off to a stellar start. Why should I even try? We hadn't even known each other 2 days and you'd already betrayed my trust." Callie looked down at Arizona, the hurt and pain evident in her deep brown eyes.

"I'm not sorry . . . well I am, but only sort of." Arizona admitted.

Callie raised an eyebrow in question. "Not exactly the way to win a girl back, Arizona."

"Let me explain." Arizona responded. "When I asked my colleague to look into your background, I was just doing my job. It's my job to get the whole truth, not just the parts you want me to know. For all I knew, you were hiding some big secret, like that you knew El Dorado didn't exist or that you'd been fired from a bunch of jobs for being a fraud. It was my job to know that kind of stuff. I made that call within the first few hours of my arrival here. It had nothing to do with you and me as a . . . well as a couple."

Callie nodded, but said nothing, which encouraged Arizona to continue. "I was attracted to you immediately – like I said, it was kind of instantaneous for me. But I figured that the chances that you felt the same way were probably slim, so the thought that it might affect our future relationship didn't even cross my mind. I am a professional and I had . . . have a job to do. So I'm not sorry . . . but I am sorry that I upset you, that you feel betrayed. Knowing that I hurt you drives a knife through my heart. And trust me, I never would have pried into your life for my own personal reasons . . . I love spending time with you, finding out little things about you. Getting a thorough background check would be like sex without the foreplay. Maybe briefly satisfying, but not nearly as good." Arizona blushed when she realized what she'd just said.

"But isn't that exactly what you did?" Callie asked, trying not to focus on Arizona's dirty metaphor. "Didn't you find out everything about me? I can't help but feel like my privacy's been invaded. How can I ever really trust you?"

"You've got to see it from my perspective. The way you went crazy when I asked you a personal question . . . it set my journalistic radar off. What if you'd been a serial killer or a complete phony or a woman on the run? I wouldn't have been doing my job if I didn't at least have a cursory look into your background." Callie nodded, the words hitting home as she remembered what Mark had said – that it would have been like asking her to go into a dig without doing all the research first.

"I actually didn't delve as deep as I could have." Arizona explained. "I found out that you were professionally respected and I found out about the rumors surrounding you and Erica. That's it. Normally I would have followed up with more in-depth research. But I didn't. It didn't feel right. Though I have to admit, hearing the rumors about you and Erica is what finally gave me the courage to go after you." She smiled sweetly, showcasing her dimples. "In some respects, you're driving me crazy, Calliope. I'm struggling not to completely compromise myself as a journalist, because my first instinct isn't to get the story . . . it's what will you think? How will you react?"

"I'm sorry." Callie began.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Arizona interrupted.

"Yes I do. I've done nothing but overreact to every little thing since you've been here. It's not your fault that I just got out of a relationship with the Wicked Witch of the West." She moved and sat down beside the blonde, peering into her eyes. Arizona's breath hitched as she took in Callie's unique and intoxicating scent.

Callie took a deep breath and continued. "I can't promise that I won't blow up again, that I won't overreact again. I've been burned and my wounds are still healing . . . but I want to try . . . I want to give us a try . . . if you still want to. I understand if you want to run screaming in the other direction – at least figuratively, since neither of us is going anywhere at the moment." She gave Arizona a weak smile.

Arizona answered in the only way she could. She took Callie by the shoulders and eased her towards her. Those dark, soft, deep eyes widened in surprise an instant before the blonde's lips took hers. Arizona nearly melted to the floor as Callie let out a soft, breathy moan deep in her throat. Callie's hands clamped on Arizona's hips and those luscious lips of hers parted, granting Arizona access. Like Callie's scent, her flavor was mysterious and essentially female. Dark and warm and sensual. When Callie's hands moved up her back, Arizona took more, just a little more. Then Arizona changed angles, took more still, and pleasure hummed in Callie's throat.

At that moment, Mark's voice cut through their lusty interlude. "Callie? Blondie? Are you guys in there? Are you alright?"

Callie pulled back and groaned. "Yeah, Mark. We're here. And we're okay. Dirty (in more ways than one, she thought) and trapped, but otherwise okay."

"Thank God! We were wondering what the hell had happened to you two. We'll get you out of here . . . though judging by the size of this rubble pile, it may take a while. I'm going to go get some tools and help. Be back soon."

"How is it that we're trapped behind a giant pile of rubble and Mark Sloan still manages to interrupt?" Arizona groaned. "Where's a brick when you need one?"

Callie chuckled. "Is it a little sad that I'm actually glad that we got trapped here?"

Arizona smiled and wrapped her arms around the brunette. "Me too, Calliope." She said as she pulled Callie in for another embrace.

Both women couldn't help but hope that Mark Sloan took his sweet old time coming to their rescue.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Dig (7/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: NC-17/M

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

A/N: Another short chapter – sorry, I've been working like crazy. On vacation starting tomorrow though, so hope to write a ton! Note the rating change. If smut's not your thing, just scroll down to the last section (broken out by a break that looks like this: * * * * *

As soon as Mark had apparently left to find help, the two women were once again in each other's arms. Callie bent down to recapture the lips that had starred in her dreams since the moment she'd met the sexy reporter.

Their tongues slid tentatively into each other's mouths, searching and probing. Their kiss quickly reached a high intensity, this time, hopefully, there was no one to interrupt them. As Callie continued to kiss Arizona's pouty, rose-tinted lips, she slowly unbuttoned her shirt. Pinning Arizona against the nearest wall, Callie's hands moved to her chest and her thumbs began to slowly tease the blonde's growing nipples. After reaching around to unhook Arizona's bra, Callie's mouth finally found its way to her breasts, sucking first on one and then the other.

Stepping back, Callie looked into Arizona's eyes to gauge whether or not to continue. The blonde's brilliant blue eyes were darkened with passion. Her protests when Callie paused were all the permission she needed. Callie was upon her again in an instant, her mouth returning its attention to Arizona's engorged nipples. Her hands wandered down to Arizona's shapely legs, running her fingers up and down the inside of her legs, everywhere but where Arizona wanted them most.

Finally, Callie reached for the button of Arizona's jeans, unfastening them and pulling them roughly down and off her legs. Callie took a moment to savor the sight before her – the gorgeous blonde before her in nothing more than a pair of lacy pink panties, practically panting from desire. Callie's fingers lightly traced the outline of the lace, watching as Arizona's nerves twitched under her touch. Arizona reacted by spreading her legs further, silently urging Callie to continue.

Callie slowly pushed aside the cloth barrier, probing one finger inside. After teasing Arizona for a moment, rubbing up and down the length of the blonde's wet slit, Callie plunged her finger deep inside. She grabbed of Arizona's legs, wrapping it around her hip to add more friction. She quickly built up a rhythm, encouraged by the stream of moans and explicit language coming from Arizona.

As Callie plunged into her, over and over again, Arizona was overcome as each and every nerve in her body built into a steady fire. The feeling of intense pleasure was such that Arizona hardly minded that each thrust slammed her against the rough rocky wall. Feeling the imminent approach of her release, Arizona ground her hips to meet Callie's hand, moaning as the fire inside her built into an inferno. Sensing Arizona's impending climax, Callie began to flick her thumb lightly over her clit. This sent Arizona tumbling over the edge, stars and rainbows exploding before her eyes.

Callie continued to pump into Arizona as she came down, slamming her again and again into the wall. As she did so, the wall behind them shifted. Suddenly, both women were falling through a new opening in the wall.

As Callie slammed Arizona once more against the wall in an amorous embrace, the wall behind them shifted. Suddenly they were tumbling through a previously undiscovered opening. As the wall gave way, they fell to the ground, Callie falling on top of Arizona.

"Oooff." Arizona grunted as Callie fell atop her. "What the? ? "

As Callie pulled them up off the ground, she replied. "Looks like we found a secret passageway."

"Are these common in Inca ruins?" Arizona asked, as she pulled her discarded clothes back on.

"More common than you'd think." Callie replied. "In fact, there are rumors that the gold residing in Paititi was transported from other cities like Cuzco via an underground tunnel system that stretched for miles and miles. When they realized that the Spanish were going to strip their cities of all their gold and melt it down to send back to Spain, the Inca went to work, secretly transporting the most precious pieces out of the cities to Paititi."

"Amazing. What if this is one of those tunnels?" Arizona asked.

"Could be. Only one way to find out. Feeling adventurous?" Callie grinned.

"You do realize what being adventurous just got us right? A cave-in."

"Scared?" Callie replied with a smirk.

"Absolutely not. Let's go." With that, Arizona grabbed Callie's hand and a flashlight and tugged them into the tunnel.

"What's the hurry?" Callie laughed as she was pulled into the passage.

"Two things." Arizona began. "First, if this is El Dorado, let's go find that gold. Second, I have to repay you for blowing my mind back there a minute ago . . . and somehow I don't think you're going to let me get you naked until we see what's in this tunnel." She smirked, flashing her dimples at Callie.

Callie chuckled. "You're probably right."

Hand-in-hand, they slowly made their way deeper and deeper into the underworld. As they walked, both struggled focus on the trek and not on each other.

Finally, unable to control herself any longer, Arizona shoved Callie against the nearest wall and attacked her lips, plunging her tongue roughly into the brunette's mouth. She pressed the full length of her body against Callie's, wanting to feel as connected to her as was possible. She reveled in the taste, the scent, the feel of this overwhelmingly sexy woman. Arizona had been with plenty of women in her day, but she'd never felt this overcome with feeling, this electric rush every time they touched. Finally, pulling back, she ran a hand lightly through Callie's hair, brushing it away from her face.

Callie flashed her a mega-watt grin, her arms encircling Arizona's petite waist. "What was that for?"

"Nothing. I just missed you."

Callie laughed. "Missed me? Arizona . . . I had you writhing up against me not 5 minutes ago and you missed me?"

"Yeah . . . so?" Arizona put on a fake pout. "It's not my fault that you're so damn sexy."

Callie chuckled again and grabbed her hand, leading them deeper into the tunnel. "Let's go, horny-pants. There'll be plenty of time for that sort of thing later."

"I'm not so sure about that. Mark Sloan seems to interrupt us every damn time. Had there not been a ton of bricks between us and him just now, I'm sure he would have walked it right before you had your way with me. It's like he's got this annoying lesbian action radar."

Callie simply smirked and continued to lead them into the darkness.

Arizona turned to make another joke, but stopped, stunned and speechless. Suddenly the beams of their flashlights were reflected back at them . . . an all-too-familiar glint . . . gold.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Dig (8/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: NC-17/M

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

As they shone their flashlights over the glinting, gold in front of them, both women were stunned into temporarily silence.

Finally, Callie's laughter brought them out of their mutual reverie.

"What's so funny?" Arizona asked, confused by Callie's seemingly inappropriate response.

"I can't believe I found it." She continued to laugh.

"How is that funny? That's amazing!" Arizona responded, still confused.

"Because of how I found it . . . practically defiling an archaeological site."

"I'll defile any archaeological site with you anytime, babe." Arizona responded, giving Callie a dimpled grin.

Callie blushed at the blonde's use of the term of endearment.

It was Arizona's turn to laugh.

"What?" Callie asked.

"It's just, that wasn't exactly how I pictured our first time together . . . all dusty and trapped in a ruin and dirty . . . okay, well maybe the dirty part . . . but figuratively, not literally."

Callie laughed in return. She pulled Arizona against her for a quick, but heated kiss. She smirked. "I can think of worse ways to spend time while trapped behind a pile of rubble."

"Oh definitely." Arizona agreed. "Plus, look what you found!" She added, gesturing to the chamber in front of them.

"Promise me one thing?" Callie asked.

"Sure. What?"

"When you describe this find in your story, you won't mention exactly how we found it? Somehow I might lose some respect in the archaeological world if it was discovered that I found the entrance because I was banging you into oblivion against centuries-old ruins."

Arizona laughed. "Are you asking me to compromise my journalistic integrity, Calliope?" She smiled, letting Callie know that she was joking.

"Maybe only a little?" Callie gave her a killer smile that made Arizona go weak in the knees.

"Not a problem. I don't tend to get personally involved with the subjects of my stories and I'd rather keep my own sexual escapades out of the news. We'll just tell whoever asks that we were searching for a way out and accidentally stumbled on the secret entrance."

"Works for me. I'd like to think we'd have found it anyway, once a full survey was conducted." Callie replied.

They continued to stare in awe at the sight before them. There was gold everywhere – what looked like golden wall panels, discs, even a few golden coffins. Most astounding, however, were what looked like cornstalks, with stems made of silver and ears made of gold..

"Calliope, look at those!" Arizona said, astonished, as she pointed at the golden corn.

Callie nodded in excitement. "I can't believe it. I'd read rumors of them, but never thought I'd actually see them. There as a rumor that there was an extraordinary artificial garden at Cuzco, completely made of gold . . . including golden ears of corn. When the Spanish invaded, they must have secreted these away through the underground tunnel system."

"Wow. I don't know what else to say. This is so, so awesome . . . aren't you going to take closer look?" Arizona asked.

Callie shook her head. "As much as I'd love to go running in there . . . start diving into piles of gold and swimming in it like Disney's Uncle Scrooge McDuck, I can't. Context is everything. We can't disturb the placement of anything until it's properly mapped. And I don't have the equipment with me to do so – plus it's not something that we can rush. Proper mapping will take days, if not weeks."

Arizona turned toward her and gently cupped the brunette's cheek, looking deep into her eyes. "You are truly amazing, Calliope. You believed in yourself and your work. You knew you'd find it here – and look – you did find it."

A single tear tricked down Callie's cheek.

Arizona gently wiped it away with her thumb. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Callie smiled and sniffled slightly. "Nothing's wrong. In fact, it's just the opposite. For the first time, everything's working out just right. I actually found it. I can't believe it. I mean, I had faith, but it's hard to push aside all of the little doubts that creep in . . . especially when there are plenty of naysayers out there saying that you'll fail. . . but I found it. I can't believe I found it." She shook her head in amazement. "And it gets better. Not only did I found it . . . but I found you. Suddenly I'm on this awesome winning streak. So no, nothing's wrong." She smiled again and pulled the blonde into her arms. "Thank you for putting up with my craziness, for not letting me push you away"

"Anytime, Calliope. From what I can tell so far, you're more than worth it." Their eyes locked and Arizona's breath hitched as they leaned closer, both eager to seal their words with a kiss, to share their excitement with each other non-verbally. Arizona couldn't help but smile as she leaned in – everything about Callie made her feel like a lusty, hormone-crazed teenager.

At last, their lips met, searing heat melting the two together as their tongues danced in frenzied manner. Eager to feel more, to feel closer, Arizona pressed Callie up against a wall, running her hands up the brunette's sides and under her shirt. Just as her roving hands met the swell of Callie's breasts, they were interrupted by the clearing of a man's throat and a flashlight beam.

"Ladies." Mark Sloan interrupted. "I see . . . and heard earlier . . . you two worked things out."

Callie groaned as Arizona pulled away from her. "Seriously Mark? I swear you have some sort of cock-blocking radar. You have the worst timing. Can't you come back later? Not that I'm not grateful that you've come to our rescue, but right now we're a little busy."

Mark laughed at Callie's frustration, though he humor was tempered by the death glare coming from the usually perky blonde.

"I, uh . . . I'll let you two have a moment."

"Wait. What do you mean that you heard we worked things out?" Arizona stopped him.

"Let's just say you two weren't exactly quiet back there near the rubble pile. Unless Blondie here was praying . . . rather enthusiastically . . . for rescue, I think it's safe to assume that you, Torres, were the reason for her to keep shouting God's name."

"You stayed and listened? You are a pervert, Sloan." Callie replied snidely.

"Hey, I am a hot-blooded male. Plus, I wasn't trying to listen. I was trying to find a way to get you out. You weren't exactly quiet. You're lucky the whole dig site couldn't hear it. Besides . . ." Mark cut off as he noticed what lay behind the two women. "Is that what I think it is?" He asked in amazement.

Callie nodded. "Gold. And a lot of it. We found it Mark. El Dorado."

Mark let out a loud whoop and picked up both women in turn, twirling them around in excitement. Arizona was a little less thrilled about the embrace than her counterpart, but humored him.

"So how did you find this corridor?" Mark asked after setting them down. "I was surprised when you weren't sitting right there on the other side of the cave-in waiting for me.

Callie blushed, but tried to cover their actual discovery. "We were looking for a way out and . . . Arizona pressed against the wall there and it kind of crumbled away, revealing this passage."

Mark gave them a knowing smile. "Right . . .nice." But he left it at that. "Why don't we head back – we can begin survey in the morning. It's already getting late and it looked like it was about to rain last time I was outside."

Callie grumbled. "One thing I hate about a dig site in the rainforest – it's always friggin' raining."

Clasping Arizona's hand, she followed Mark out of the tunnel and out of the ruins. Once outdoors, the two women pulled away from each other, wanting to maintain the façade of a strictly professional relationship when in front of the workers. Sure enough, it was starting to rain and they made a bee-line for the camp site, finally ending up, soaked to the bone, inside Arizona's tent.

Arizona struggled to keep her hands to herself, Callie's clothes now soaked and clinging to every delicious curve of her body, her erect nipples clearly pronounced through the damp material. Finally, unable to control herself, Arizona grabbed Callie and pulled her into her arms.

"I never repaid you for your . . . favor earlier." She smirked, showing a hint of dimples. "Besides, we need to get you out of these wet clothes. Wouldn't want you to catch pneumonia or something."

With that, Arizona practically attacked the brunette, her heated mouth nipping, sucking at Callie's neck and pulse point, kissing a hot trail down to her collar bone. At the same time, her hands wasted no time, literally tearing the archaeologist's blouse open, buttons flying everywhere."

Callie gasped in surprise and then chuckled at Arizona's sudden impatience. She quickly reached up and pulled off Arizona's shirt and bra, reaching down to take a nipple in her mouth. Arizona groaned in response, but after a moment, pushed Callie away. "No. Not yet. Your turn first." She said breathily as she reached behind and released the clasp of Callie's bra before pushing her down onto the bed.

Arizona grabbed at Callie's shorts, pulling them down as the brunette lifted her hips to assist. Arizona's fingers quickly found their way into Callie's lacy boy shorts, teasing, rubbing and flicking up and down the length of her slick center, occasionally pushing against Callie's swollen bundle of nerves, sending shock waves of pleasure coursing through her body. Callie moaned, arching her back and hips off the bed, eager for more contact, more friction.

Sensing that the time for teasing was past, Arizona made quick work of Callie's underwear, quickly replacing her fingers with her mouth, licking up the sweet, unique taste of Callie's arousal. Finally, Arizona's probing tongue made contact with the brunette's throbbing clit, sending electrical impulses shooting through Callie. She bit her lip and struggled to stifle her moans, remembering what Mark had said earlier about the vocality of their earlier tryst. As Arizona continued to swirl her tongue where Callie needed it most, she spread her legs even wider, running her hands through the blonde curls, pressing her head deeper, anxious for as much contact as possible.

Callie could not remember ever being this aroused in her entire life as Arizona continued her assault on her core. As she arched her hips, encouraging Arizona to continue, the blonde reached up and inserted two fingers into Callie's heated tunnel. Quickly building up a steady rhythm, Callie planted her feet firmly on the bed and thrust her hips in time with Arizona's hand, feeling her climax fast approaching.

"Oh God . . . Arizona . . ." Callie husked breathly. "I'm gonna . . ."

One more flick of Arizona's tongue was all it took to send Callie crashing into the abyss, a tidal wave of sensations rushing through her as every muscle in her body spasmed and thrashed."

Finally coming down, Callie pulled Arizona up level with her and gave her a gentle kiss, tasting herself on the blonde's lips. Callie smirked as she flipped Arizona over and tore away her remaining clothing. "Your turn."

After a few more hours of love making, Callie rose from the bed and began to throw on her damp clothes, attempting to hold her destroyed shirt closed. "I should head back to my tent. It's late."

"You know, this isn't fair."

"What isn't?" Callie asked.

"The fact that I have to spend tonight . . . and every night for the foreseeable future in here, while you're _all_ the way over in your own tent. I know we need to keep up appearances, but it's not fair . . . when all I want to do is spend every night in your arms."

Callie smirked. "I've got a remedy for that." As she spoke, she pulled a pocket knife out and quickly slit a hole in the roof of Arizona's tent.

"What did you do that for? Now my stuff will get all wet!" Arizona chided, confused.

"Exactly. With as much as it rains around here, we can't have you sleeping in a tent with a leak in it, can we? It seems that as your host on this dig site, the only right thing for me to do is to offer to share my tent with you." Callie smiled and pulled Arizona off the bed and into her arms. She placed a chaste kiss on the blonde's lips. "Now get dressed so we can get you out of this leaky tent."

Arizona grinned, her dimples in full force. "Yes, ma'am."

The next several weeks were dream-like for the two women. The team began survey of their underground find, painstakingly detailing the exact location of every object. Both women were in sheer heaven. Not only was this shaping up to be the archaeological find of the century, but they'd found each other. They were living the dream.

However, it took one single moment for that dream to be shattered into a thousand pieces. As the two women sat together, sharing a meal, Callie heard a voice from behind her that made her skin crawl.

"Hello, Cal. Long time, no see."

Callie didn't need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. She'd recognize it anywhere . . . Erica Hahn.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The Dig (9/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: NC-17/M

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

Callie slowly turned around to face the woman who had once made her happy, only to send her world spinning only months later.

"Erica . . . what the hell are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm here to claim what's rightfully mine."

Arizona wasn't sure exactly what the woman meant – presumably she meant the archaeological find, but Arizona couldn't help but think she had a dual meaning, especially considering the venomous look that she could swear Erica was directing straight at her. She quickly shook this thought aside – there was no way Erica could know of the nature of her relationship with Callie.

Callie snorted in derision. "Clearly you're as delusional now as you were a few months ago, Erica."

"Delusional? You're the one with problems, Cal, if you think I'm going to let you make this find without me. We worked on this together and I'm here to take my credit." Erica replied snidely.

"You lost any chance to work with me on this when you walked out of my life months ago. Besides, we did not work on this together and you and I both know it."

"I have proof that says otherwise." Erica replied, as she began rattling off the facts of Callie's find, including several facts that were known only to a select few people. "And I've got a film crew coming down shortly to document my find."

Callie shook her head in disbelief. "You are unbelievable. I'm done here. We'll talk later. In the meantime, please get out of my sight." With that, she stalked away towards her tent. Seeing how upset Callie was, Arizona quickly followed her.

Callie began pacing back and forth across the narrow expanse of the tent. "I can't believe she's here! I can't believe she's doing this again! What the hell did I deserve to do this?"

Arizona placed a gentle hand on Callie's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Calliope. We'll figure this out. There has to be a way to prove she's lying. She won't get away with this."

Callie shook her head and resumed pacing. "I just don't get it. How did she know I was here? How did she find out about this? I kept everything under wraps. Yet she knew some details that only a few people knew. There has to be a leak . . ." A look of realization dawning on her face, Callie looked up at Arizona with a mixture of sadness and anger in her dark brown eyes. "It was you, wasn't it?" She said with a whisper. "Erica knew things that only Mark and I knew . . . until I shared them with you."

"Calliope!" Arizona protested. "You can't possibly believe I'd be behind this? I would never hurt you that way."

"I don't see what other explanation there is. I should have known better." Callie wiped away tears of hurt as she stormed from the tent.

Arizona sank down onto the bed, as she let the tears to flow down her cheeks. She allowed herself a few minutes of upset and self-pity before pulling herself together. She was not going to allow that bitch Erica to ruin what she thought might be a bright future with Calliope. Sure, it hurt that Callie had blamed her, but when she looked at it from an unbiased, journalistic perspective, she couldn't really question Callie's conclusion. All obvious signs pointed to her – it was now up to her to prove otherwise. And if there was one thing that Arizona Robbins was good at, it was at getting to the bottom of a mystery.

Wracking her brains, Arizona struggled to figure out how Erica could have found out. Pacing back and forth across the tent, running frustrated hands through her curly blonde locks, she replayed the events of the past few weeks through her head, sifting through for some sort of hint as to the source of Erica's inside information. Suddenly, it hit her like a bolt of lightning . . . her journal. It had gone missing a few weeks before and she'd never found it. She'd replaced it and hadn't really given it a second thought . . . until now. Now the question was, how could she use this information to her advantage? How could she use it to make Erica reveal herself as the liar that she clearly was? After thinking for a few more moments, she'd formulated a plan. Arizona made a quick call to Teddy and then strode from the tent, focused on finding Callie and making her see that she wasn't behind Erica's sudden appearance.

After storming from the tent, Callie moved as quickly as she could away from the area. She couldn't take the thought of being betrayed once again. She stalked off, head down, struggling to hold in the tears. Lost in her thoughts and not focused on where she was going, she ran headlong into Mark Sloan.

"Whoa! Torres! Where's the fire? Slow down!" He said as he stopped her. "So Hahn is here . . . as I'm sure you're aware, judging by the look of you. How the hell did she find out?"

"Arizona . . ." Callie mumbled under her breath as she wiped away a stray tear and tried to brush past him.

"Blondie?" Mark gave Callie a look of disbelief. "What makes you say that? As tight as you two have been? You really think she'd do something like tell Erica Hahn about your find?"

"Who else could it be, Mark? Erica knew things that I'd only told you and Arizona. What else am I supposed to think?"

"I think you're smarter than this, Callie – jumping to conclusions. Did you even give her a chance to defend herself? I know that Erica did a number on you and that you've got all sorts of trust issues, but I just can't see Arizona leaking this. Think about it, Callie. What's in it for her?"

Callie grumbled and offered a non-committal response.

"Exactly." Mark continued. "Nothing. She lets this news out and she loses her scoop. You heard, I assume, that Erica plans to bring in a TV news crew? There goes Blondie's story. Plus, if you let yourself believe for just a minute that she has genuine feelings for you, betraying you wouldn't exactly be in her best interests, would it? If she cares about you, why would she want to do anything to hurt you?"

Callie grumbled some more, stubbornness making her somewhat unwilling to admit that Mark was right. "It still doesn't explain how Erica found out." She finally said, running a frustrated hand through her raven locks.

"I think you and I both know that there must be some other explanation – maybe one that Arizona can give you – if you'd trust her long enough to give her a chance."

"Maybe you're right . . ." Callie finally admitted.

"Of course I am. Just glad to hear you acknowledge it." Mark smirked and punched her playfully on the arm.

"Just don't get used to it Sloan – not gonna happen again anytime soon."

Mark smiled and rubbed a reassuring hand across her back. "Go find your girl, Torres. Don't let this little hiccup destroy up the good thing you two have got going."

Callie nodded and went off in search of Arizona. She needed to make things right. Mark was right – she hadn't been fair. She'd been too quick to blame Arizona. Her eyes raked over the site, trying to find the blonde. However, before she could find the object of her search, she was stopped by the last person she wanted to see.

"Callie. We need to talk." Erica put out an arm to stop her.

"Really, Erica? I don't think we have anything to say to one another, unless you're going to apologize for this farce and tell me that you're leaving." Callie's eyes blazed with anger.

The corners of Erica's mouth rose in a slight smirk. "What happened to you, Callie? You used to be . . . fun. Why so serious? You and I both know that we worked together for years trying to find El Dorado. And now you want to do it without me? We both know that you're nothing without me . . . professionally . . . personally." As she said the last word, she stepped forward and placed her hands on Callie's shoulders. "We had a good thing going, Cal. We should give it another chance."

Callie attempted to brush Erica's hands off, but the woman held firm in her grip. "You lost any chance you had with me the minute you decided that your own personal career was more important than us. The moment you decided to walk away, taking _my_ hard-earned research with you. I really wonder if you even ever cared about me, or if it was all about stealing my work."

"That little misunderstanding?" Erica chuckled. "Callie, you and I both know that you'd have never finished that project on your own. It took a more seasoned professional . . . someone like me . . . to put that research to good use."

Callie's rage boiled over. "Get your fucking hands off of me, Dr. Hahn. I don't know how you found out about this place, but mark my words . . . this time, I will expose you for the true fraud that you are. "

As Callie struggled to remove Erica's pesky grip, a voice sounded from behind her.

"Dr. Hahn, I don't know who you think you are, but I suggest you remove your hands from Dr. Torres, before I remove them for you." Arizona strode up to the two women, her blue eyes darkened with a rage that Callie had never seen before.

"Who the hell are you?" Erica asked, confused as she released her grip on Callie.

"Arizona Robbins. I'm a journalist covering this find. And trust me, if you're not careful, I'll be doing a follow-up story on the fraud that is Dr. Erica Hahn."

"Since when do you let two-bit hacks cover your digs, Callie? You're really losing what little credibility you ever had." Erica replied, a snarky grin on her face.

Already fired up by her attack on Callie, Arizona lunged at the other blonde. Callie jumped in and held her back. Part of her really wanted to see Arizona take the bitch down, but she didn't want to have to worry about defending her against assault charges.

Taking just a moment to savor the fact that Callie had her arms around her, Arizona responded to Erica's jab. "I'll have you know that I have won not one, but two Pulitzer Prizes for my stories. I may be many things, but a hack is not one of them."

"Feisty. I like it." Erica retorted. "However, we'll have to see about that. You may claim to be a professional, but do real journalists leave their notes lying around where just anyone can find them?" She smirked as she pulled Arizona's missing journal out of her bag and waved it tauntingly at the other two women.

"So it wasn't you." Callie whispered to Arizona, who simply shook her head.

"How the hell did you get that?" Callie addressed her question to her former lover.

Erica flashed yet another smirk, a look that was quickly becoming one that made Arizona want to wipe it clean off of her face with a swift punch. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to find a poor student intern willing to spy in exchange for a few extra bucks. You really should be more careful, Cal."

"I think we're finished here." Callie responded, steering Arizona away as she stormed towards their tent.

As they entered the tent, Callie turned to face Arizona. Looking at her sheepishly, she took the blonde's hands in her own. "I owe you an apology. I am so sorry for not trusting you. As a trained academic, I'm taught not to jump to conclusions. Yet that's exactly what I did here. It wasn't fair to you and for that I'm truly sorry." Biting her lip in anxiety, she looked up to meet Arizona's eyes. "I just hope I haven't ruined our . . . whatever this thing we have going on is. I hope you'll forgive me."

Arizona nodded. "Of course, Calliope." She released one of her hands and brought it up to lightly stroke Callie's cheek. "At first, I was upset, wondering what I'd done to deserve the reaction you gave me. But then I thought about it – if I'd been in your shoes, knowing what you knew, I'd have thought the same thing."

Callie offered a weak smile. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there – the way you went after her was pretty sexy."

Arizona smiled, her beautiful dimples on full display. "I grew up with the name Arizona. I learned how to play dirty on the playground. I just wish you'd have let me knock that stupid smirk off of her face. I've got a mean left hook."

Callie chuckled and pulled Arizona into her arms, placing a gentle kiss on Arizona's soft lips. "Mmmm . . . playing dirty. I like the sound of that." She recaptured the blonde's lips in a deep, soulful kiss, attempting to convey the full extent of her apology. Suddenly, she pulled back, eliciting a regretful groan of protest from Arizona.

"One thing I have to ask you."

"What's that?" Arizona asked, placing soft kisses along Callie's jaw line, eager to end all conversation and to continue what they'd just started.

"I'd just accused you of a huge betrayal. Yet you came to my defense anyway. Why? Most people would have left me to struggle on my own. I deserved it."

Partially distracted by her rising ardor, Arizona spoke without thinking. "You were hurting and you needed help. I protect the things I love . . ."


	10. Chapter 10

Title: The Dig (10/?)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: NC-17/M

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

A/N: Here's my Christmas present to you – a new and fairly long chapter. Hopefully you'll return the favor and give me lots of reviews/feedback to put under my tree (shameless plea, I know, but they make my day). I think there will be one more chapter to this story, an epilogue of sorts, which I'll try and write in the next few days.

"One thing I have to ask you."

"What's that?" Arizona asked, placing soft kisses along Callie's jaw line, eager to end all conversation and to continue what they'd just started.

"I'd just accused you of a huge betrayal. Yet you came to my defense anyway. Why? Most people would have left me to struggle on my own. I deserved it."

Partially distracted by her rising ardor, Arizona spoke without thinking. "You were hurting and you needed help. I protect the things I love . . ."

It took a minute for Arizona's words to sink in, but once they did, Callie pulled back in surprise.

Finally realizing what she'd just said, Arizona immediately began rambling and cursing. "Crap. I did not just say that out loud. I'm so sorry, Calliope. I'm sure you're freaking out right now. I'm not sure what came over me. You must think I'm some crazy stalker or something."

"Arizona." Callie tried unsuccessfully to interrupt the blonde's rant.

Arizona, not registering that Callie had spoken, continued. "I mean who does that? Who admits that they love someone they've only known for about a month or two? I sure don't. I am not normally that person. Just forget what I said. Please don't pay any attention . . ."

"Arizona!" Callie said more emphatically, shaking her slightly by the shoulders.

"What?" Arizona said, finally realizing Callie was attempting to speak.

"I love you too." Callie gave Arizona the most heart-melting, dazzling smile that she'd ever seen.

"You do?" Arizona responded, slightly incredulously.

"I do. Now shut up so I can kiss you." Callie laughed as she brought her lips down upon Arizona's, crashing their mouths together, conveying the depth of their newly confessed feelings.

There was something new about this kiss – something more –as if the sudden confession of love had given it a deeper meaning. Callie slowly opened her mouth, allowing Arizona access, as their tongues slid against each other in a complicated tango. Arizona reached up and ran a hand roughly through Callie's raven locks, pulling their bodies flush together so that they were touching from thigh to breast. Callie slowly let out a long, passionate moan from deep in her throat as she snaked her arms around the blonde's waist, eager to feel every possible inch of her body. Arizona slowly walked them backwards towards the bed, pushing Callie down onto it before landing on top of her.

Arizona straddled her hips, stray locks of blonde hair tickling and teasing Callie's face as she lowered her head to nip and suck at her neck, leaving small little love marks as she went. Finally, frustrated by the cloth barrier in her way, Arizona slowly began to unbutton Callie's shirt, placing a gentle kiss on each new patch of revealed caramel skin as she made her way down to each button. Finally shedding the shirt and making quick work of Callie's black lace bra, Arizona began her assault on her breasts, taking each engorged nipple in her mouth in turn, eliciting a stream of low moans from her lover as Callie arched her back, anxious to deepen her contact with the blonde's mouth. Arizona continued to make her way south, placing a series of lazy kisses across Callie's abdomen and on the inside of her still-clothed thighs – everywhere except the place that Callie really needed her to be.

Finally deciding that she'd had enough teasing, Callie grabbed Arizona and flipped her over, so that she was now on top and in control. Callie roughly pulled Arizona's shirt over her head, eager to get the object of her desires naked as quickly as possible. With a flick of her fingers, Arizona's front-clasp bra was no longer a barrier and Callie took a rock hard nipple in her mouth, gentling suckling and nipping, attempting to make Arizona feel the same tension and frustration she'd just experienced.

As she did so, Callie began to rock her center against Arizona's leg, trying to find some friction to help bring her some relief. Arizona, sensing the brunette's urgency, pulled her up for a deep, passionate kiss before the two pulled all remaining clothing off one another and laid against each other skin-to-skin.

Arizona, eager to once again be in control, rolled them over so that she was atop her lover. She quickly turned her body so that they were laying head-to-foot and gently pulled Callie's legs apart. As Arizona began to tentatively stroke Callie's twitching clit with her fingertips, she was rewarded with the brunette's hot mouth and tongue teasing her throbbing center, diving in and out.

Arizona let out a sigh of pleasure as she pushed her body back slightly, eager to push Callie's tongue deeper inside her. As she did so, she slid a finger inside Callie and began to suck on her swollen clit, alternating the sensations by teasing her with long, slow strokes of her tongue. This activity was rewarded by a series of stifled moans from her lover. Callie matched Arizona's speed, stroke-for-stroke, as the two journeyed their way toward completion. When Arizona slowed down to tease Callie, the brunette responded in kind, when she sped up, Callie did as well. Finally, unable to take it any longer, with tongues and fingers flying, the two women fell over the edge, bodies shuddering with the force of their climaxes, before finally collapsing against one another. Using her last remaining energy, Arizona turned around and snuggled up in Callie's arms.

They lay like that for some time, savoring the closeness and their newly revealed feelings. Finally, Arizona broke the silence as she turned in Callie's arms to gaze into her eyes.

"So does this mean you're my girlfriend?" She asked tentatively.

"Hell, yeah it does!" Callie responded before placing a sweet kiss on Arizona's lips.

Beaming, Arizona snuggled deeper into Callie's arms, nuzzling into her neck and taking in her unique scent. "Mmm . . . I could get used to this." Arizona mumbled.

After enjoying a few more moments of comfortable silence, Callie pulled back slightly so that she could look Arizona in the eye. She ran a gentle hand down Arizona's cheek. "Thank you." She said quietly.

"For what?" Arizona asked, confused as to what she'd done to deserve thanks.

"For everything, but mostly, for loving me." Callie smiled, before continuing. "And for being too caught up in your own dirty thoughts to choose your words more carefully. I'm glad you let it slip. I've been wanting to say it to you since about 5 minutes after meeting you. I know that sounds clichéd and I never believed in the whole love at first sight thing . . . until I met you. There was just this instant connection . . this burning, electric sensation that I felt right here." As she finished, she gestured towards her heart. Suddenly worried that she'd said too much, she eyed Arizona nervously. "I hope I didn't just scare you off."

Arizona gave her a reassuring smile. "Not at all, sweetie. I felt it too. And I'm not someone who falls in love at the drop of the hat. But that's what I did with you." The two shared a sweet, intimate kiss before lapsing once again into a silent embrace.

A few minutes later, Callie began to fidget and let out a stream of sighs. Arizona looked up at her with question in her eyes. "What is it, Calliope? You look upset."

"It's just . . . everything was going so right in my life . . . for once. I've got this find, I've got you . . . and then Erica shows up to take it all away. Lucky for me, you didn't let me push you away, but she's going to come in here and steal my work, just like last time. It's happening all over again. I don't know what the hell I did to deserve this sort of treatment from her. " She shook her head as a single tear rolled down her face.

Arizona reached up and gently brushed the tear away with her thumb, unused to seeing the normally tough archaeologist in such a vulnerable state. "We're going to fix this – you and me. We'll make the world see her for what she really is – a conniving, back-stabbing bitch. We just need a plan."

Callie raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly as she dried her eyes. "A plan?"

"Yes, a plan." Arizona smiled. "Lucky for you, you have a super awesome girlfriend, and I've already got one."

"You do?"

"I do. Now let me make a quick call to Teddy and then we'll put Operation: The Bitch is Going Down into action."

Callie laughed at Arizona's absurdity and thanked her lucky stars that some as amazing as Arizona Robbins had somehow ended up in her life.

The next day, after receiving the necessary information from Teddy, Callie and Arizona planned out their course of attack. They wanted to time it perfectly, to attack when Erica was most exposed.

The opportunity came that afternoon. Erica's TV crew had arrived and she was giving them an on-camera tour of the site, explaining the history and legends behind El Dorado. The way she guided them, as if the site were her own, made Callie's skin crawl. She wanted nothing more than to take the bitch down in an all-out brawl right then and there.

Leaning over to Arizona, Callie whispered, "remind me why I don't just deck her in the face and get this over with?"

"Be patient, sweetie. If our plan goes off as we envisioned it, the victory will be so much sweeter."

Callie simply nodded. They watched, waiting for Erica to see them, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist interacting with them. Sure enough, after Erica noticed the two women, she waved them over.

"This is my assistant, Dr. Callie Torres . . . and her friend, a print journalist. I'm sorry. What was your name again? Alaska Roberts?"

Not taking the bait, Arizona simply responded with a correction. "Arizona Robbins."

The TV reporter turned to her. "You're Arizona Robbins? I've read your stuff. It's great! You've got, what two Pulitzers now?"

Arizona nodded, enjoying the obvious discomfort of Erica Hahn, who was currently shooting a venomous glare in her direction.

"Ever thought about switching to TV? Maybe pick up a few Peabodys to add to your trophy case?" The reporter continued, making Erica even more agitated.

"I assume you can edit that part out when you put together the show? Anyway, John, as I was saying . . ." she interrupted, eager to regain the focus on her, "Dr. Torres was very helpful when I was trying to find El Dorado. She did some very important research for me . . ." Erica smirked, believing that there was no way that Callie would or could confront her on camera without any proof.

"Actually, John, if I may. I've got a few questions for Dr. Hahn." Arizona cut in, flashing the reporter her dimples, which, along with the newly discovered admiration of her work, got her what she wanted.

"Of course, Arizona." He replied, smiling brightly.

"I don't really think this is appropriate." Erica said warily.

"Why not, Erica? Arizona is one of the best. I'm sure whatever she'll ask will make this TV special even better." John replied, not knowing how true his words were about to become.

Erica nodded and swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling a foreboding sense of unease.

"Here's an easy one, Dr. Hahn. How did you decide that this exact site was the correct place to look for El Dorado?"

"After lots of careful research, I found several factors that pointed to this spot. Also, after reviewing satellite pictures, we saw an anomaly here and thought it might be man-made." Erica began rattling off the various facts that had been contained in Arizona's notebook.

"That still doesn't tell me why you picked this exact spot. Surely those 'landmarks' you talked of could point to any of a number of places in the jungle. Also, we all know that there are hundreds of potential man-made anomalies on satellite photos. So why here? Why this location?"

Struggling to answer Arizona's pointed question, Erica stuttered. "Well . . .uh . . . um."

"At a loss for words, suddenly, Dr. Hahn? Maybe I can help you out. The reason you can't answer my question is because you don't know the answer. Right? Because all that information you just spouted out was actually Dr. Torres's work. Which you stole. And the reason you don't have the defining piece of evidence for this location is because you slipped up. You stole _my_ journal, which contained notes from my conversations with Dr. Torres for my story. Problem is, you moved to soon. Dr. Torres doesn't just give out all of her research to just anyone. She hadn't learned to trust me yet . . . maybe she's a little leery after the last time you stole her work. Anyway, I hadn't written down the crucial piece of evidence in my journal because I didn't know about it then."

"This is absurd. Will someone remove this crazy woman from my sight?" Erica responded, attempting to keep of the façade of disinterest.

"I don't know, Erica. Arizona seems pretty convinced – and knowing her reputation, I don't think she'd make these kinds of accusations without proof." John said, looking at Arizona for confirmation.

"You're right John. You see that young man over there?" She gestured to an uncomfortable-looking intern standing off to the side. "He was struggling to pay for school and Dr. Hahn offered to pay him some money to spy on Dr. Torres. He's see the error of his ways and he's willing to attest that she hired him to be a spy and that he stole my journal, which, if I'm not mistaken, Dr. Hahn keeps in her bag. Why don't you show it to us, Erica?"

"I don't have to stand for this sort of accusation. I'm not on trial here."

"If you don't have anything to hide, just open your bag, Erica." John urged, thanking his lucky stars that this story had fallen into his lap.

Erica reluctantly opened her bag and let John remove the journal. "This doesn't prove anything. They could have planted that."

"Then why don't you just tell us how you knew to look for El Dorado at this exact location?" Arizona piped in. "It's a simple question."

"I don't have to reveal my sources to you." Erica replied harshly, her fury rising.

"How about I do you one better?" Callie offered, finally breaking her silence. "I'll tell you how _I_ discovered El Dorado was here." She shot Erica daggers through her dark brown eyes. "This is what led me here." Callie pulled out her copy of the Spanish missionary's letter from the Vatican Archives, which described the location of the City of Paititi. "This document is what led me here – it's from the Vatican Archives. And I didn't show this to Arizona until after her journal went missing – which is why Dr. Hahn doesn't know about it."

Erica was stunned, but recovered quickly. "Of course I knew about it. With all the arguing and hassling that's been going on, I forgot."

"Really?" Arizona smiled with false sweetness. "If that's the case, then you must also be forgetting that the Vatican keeps meticulous records of anyone who visits their archives. " She pulled out another document, which Teddy had sent her earlier. "I had a colleague do some checking. It seems that your name appears nowhere on this list. And here's Dr. Torres's name – from just a few months ago, showing that she examined that exact document."

The last of her composure finally cracking, Erica flew into a rage. "Why you little bitch . . ." She lunged at Arizona, fists flying. However, the smaller blonde was quicker and ducked out of the way before planting one swift left hook of her own directly into Erica's nose.

As Erica grabbed her nose and began to storm off, Arizona shook her hand and flashed her dimples. She called after Erica in her perkiest, sweetest tone. "It was super to meet you, Dr. Hahn. Now, I suggest you remove yourself from Dr. Torres's dig site as soon as possible. It's for your own safety, after all." She smiled sweetly and gave a little wave as Erica stomped away.

Turning to John, she apologized. "Sorry for all the drama, John. But I really couldn't let her get away with that. Maybe we can work together on a joint print and film story, covering Dr. Torres's find?"

"Of course. And man, can you throw a punch!" He replied, astonished.

"Thanks. I've been wanting to do that for some time now. Luckily, the opportunity to defend myself and Dr. Torres presented itself. We'll talk more later, if that's okay?"

John nodded and Arizona led Callie back to the tent.

As they walked away, Callie turned towards Arizona with a mega-watt grin on her face. "You are fucking amazing, Arizona Robbins."

"I know." The blonde replied perkily, revealing her dimples once more.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: The Dig (11/11)

Author: GreysAddictJ

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: NC-17/M

Summary: A/U – What happens when a pesky (but hot) blonde journalist shows up at the dig site of world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Calliope Torres?

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no infringement intended

A/N: Here's the last chapter of this fic – a short epilogue of sorts. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It's been fun.

The next few months went off without a hitch. Once Erica had departed in disgrace, the dig site was relatively free of drama.

Callie and her team continued to make discovery after discovery, including a major find that all but confirmed what she had long hoped – the site was indeed the lost city of gold. They discovered that the underground tunnels led directly to the ruins at Cuzco, thus proving the rumor that the Incans had transported their gold out of Cuzco when the Spanish invaded.

Arizona worked closely with Callie, as well as John, the TV journalist, to develop an in-depth feature article and a companion television show on Callie's discovery. Though neither piece of work had been published or aired yet, Arizona had no doubt that they were great work . . . award-winning work even. In fact, Arizona believed that her girlfriend was about to become an overnight sensation – a household name.

Their last night at the site, the two women lay together in their tent, neither one wanting to start the conversation that they both knew needed to be had.

Callie held Arizona from behind, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, unable to let go . . . afraid that if she did, she'd somehow lose her forever. Arizona had placed her hand over one of Callie's, content to gently stroke the back of her girlfriend's hand with her thumb. They stayed like this for what seemed like an eternity, the air heavy with the nervous tension that both women felt.

Arizona sighed and finally turned over in Callie's arms. She gazed deeply into her girlfriend's rich dark eyes and reached up to gently play with her raven locks. "We need to talk, Calliope . . . about us . . . about where we're going . . . about what's next."

"Do we have to?" Callie whined. "I can think of much more creative, much sexier ways to spend our last night here." She attempted to catch Arizona's lips in a kiss, but she would not be distracted.

"As awesome as that sounds, Calliope, no. We need to talk. We've been living in this happy little bubble. We've been able to spend tons of time together out here in the secluded jungle. But what happens tomorrow when we have to go back to the real world? As much as I love our pretty little pink bubble, it's time to pop it."

"A pink bubble, huh?" Callie smirked as she gazed into her lover's eyes. Arizona simply nodded, so Callie continued the conversation. "Okay, so here's what I know. I love you, Arizona Robbins . . . and that won't change just because we're no longer living in a tent in the middle of the jungle. I don't know what to say beyond that. I want to be with you. But hell, I don't even know where you live."

"I love you too, Calliope." Arizona smiled sweetly. "I agree. This is not over just because we have to go back to civilization. But there are a lot of things to sort out. You live in New York. Your job and your life are there. I live in Chicago. And I don't believe in long-distance relationships . . . but I do believe in you and me."

"So where does that leave us?" Callie swallowed the lump in her throat, suddenly nervous as to where this conversation was heading.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that I want to be with you Calliope, that I want to make this work out there in the real world."

"So maybe we just see where it goes from here? Take it day-by-day and figure it out as we go?" Callie offered, not really happy with their state of relationship limbo, but not really sure what else to suggest.

Arizona gave her a weak smile and nodded before taking Callie's lips against her own. She quickly deepened the kiss, tracing the seam of her girlfriend's lips with her tongue, seeking access. When Callie parted her lips and granted Arizona entry, she slowly slid her tongue along Callie's slowly savoring the unique taste of her lover.

They spent the rest of the night making love, with an intensity and feeling that it might be their last night together for quite some time.

The next morning, they said their real goodbyes in the confines of their tent, knowing that once they were outside, the real world would come crashing down. They'd both agreed to continue to keep their relationship under wraps until after news of the find had broken.

Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's neck as her girlfriend snaked her arms around her waist. Burrowing her head into Callie's shoulder, both women stood there, holding onto each other tightly, unwilling to let go. Finally, Arizona pulled back to look at Callie, tears glistening in both of their eyes.

"I don't want to let you go." Arizona said softly, sniffling slightly.

Callie shook her head. "You're not. We'll work this out, somehow. Just think of this as a temporary hurdle." A tear escaped her eye and Arizona leaned up to kiss it away, gently tracing kisses from that spot until she landed on Callie's lips. The two shared a long, sad kiss, silently conveying what their words couldn't express.

"Tell me we're going to make it." Callie said as she pulled back and placed her forehead against Arizona's.

Arizona nodded slightly. "We'll make it. You're way too great a catch for me to let you get away, Calliope Torres."

"Thank you." Callie said quietly.

"For what?"

"For everything. For believing in me. For loving me. For making the last few months the most memorable, most unbelievable, best months of my life."

"I could say the same thing about you. I love you so much." Arizona leaned in for one more lingering kiss before releasing her hold on Callie. "Now let's go face that big, bad world out there." Placing a gentle hand across the small of her girlfriend's back, she led Callie from the tent.

After giving each other a rather chaste hug at the airport, the two women reluctantly went their separate ways, with promises to call and email as often as possible until they figured out where they stood.

Just as they'd predicted, once news of her discovery broke, Callie became an overnight sensation. She was interviewed by countless news outlets and the TV special was such a big success that the network had to re-run it twice due to popular demand. Arizona's feature story was also a hit. Copies of the story flew off the shelves and there was already talk of another award. Additionally, a big-time publisher had approached the two women and asked them if they'd be interested in collaborating on a book about the discovery. Both jumped at the chance, obviously eager to work with each other again.

They stayed in constant contact via phone and email, spending countless hours talking remotely. Both were eager, however, to be together more than just virtually.

All of the press coverage was starting to wear Callie down. She'd been doing interview after interview and it was starting to get old. There was only one journalist who she really wanted to see and it had been 2 months since she'd seen her. Sure, they talked every day (often multiple times), but it just wasn't the same. Every ounce of her being ached to be near Arizona again, but their hectic schedules had not allowed a reunion yet. Almost immediately after returning from the jungle, Arizona had been sent out on another assignment and Callie's new-found fame and teaching schedule had prevented her from visiting.

Dragging herself to yet another press conference, Callie tried to put on a brave face. After all, she was the consummate professional and she didn't want to let anyone know how rundown and lonely she was feeling.

Standing at the podium, she began to field questions from the reporters in the room. After taking several questions, she scanned the room for the next raised hand, signaling a query. She did a double-take when her eyes grazed across a very familiar-looking pair of blue eyes and dimples.

"Arizona Robbins, newly with the _New York Times_. My question is, now that you've discovered El Dorado, what do you plan to do next?"

Since they were in a room full of nosy reporters, Callie smirked and suppressed her first response, which was that she'd like to take her girlfriend home and make love to her until neither of them could see straight. Instead, she said, "Good question, Ms. Robbins. It will take several years more of study and more expeditions to really understand everything that we've found there. What we've discovered so far is really just the tip of the iceberg. So I plan to continue working on this amazing site as long as I can."

After dealing with the rest of the reporters, Callie made her way through the crowd, searching for Arizona. She finally found her leaning nonchalantly against the back wall of the room, arms crossed, obviously waiting for her.

"Seeing you up there, Dr. Torres, is incredibly hot. Fielding all those questions . . . having an answer for everything . . . looking all confident and smart . . . yes, very hot indeed." She smirked and shot Callie her dimples.

Callie grinned back. "You know what I find hot?" Arizona shook her head, enjoying their flirtatious banter. "Arizona Robbins, reporter for the _New York Times_. That sounds incredibly hot to me. Please tell me I heard you right – that you got a job here in New York?"

"I did indeed. Know some place where a poor little homeless reporter could crash while she gets on her feet?"

"Move in with me." Callie said as she placed a gentle hand on Arizona's arm, careful to keep their displays of affection to a minimum for the time being.

"I thought you'd never ask." Arizona beamed. "Now why don't you take me home and show me how much you've missed me."

Callie chuckled as she and her girlfriend headed out the door.

Once they were safely in the confines of Callie's (or rather their) apartment, they were upon each other almost immediately, lips crashing together as they conveyed the pent-up emotions of the past few months.

Finally pulling apart when oxygen became a necessity, Arizona peered into her lover's eyes. "I love you so much Calliope. I went into the jungle to find the next big story in my career. While I did find that, I found something even more important – what I truly believe will turn out to be the big story in my _life_ – you. I am so grateful that fate brought us together." She placed a gentle kiss on Callie's lips.

Callie smiled. "That was so cheesy, Arizona . . . but I love it."

"Hey!" Arizona said in mock protest. "That was not cheesy – it was sincere."

"I know. And I love you too. If we're going to get all cheesy, I might as well tell you that I too am grateful. I went to South America to find gold. I did find it, in more ways than one. I found it literally – at El Dorado. But I also found something worth so much more than gold – I found you."

"See, you're getting all sappy now too." Arizona giggled, grabbing Callie's hand. "Now take me to bed and let's celebrate what we both found in that rainy jungle."

Callie grinned and let them to _their_ bedroom, where they made up for lost time.


End file.
